Victoria Base Affair
by Amethyst Wolf Dragon
Summary: At Victoria Base Acadamy Treize meets Zechs. They become the best of freinds and wish they could be more. After graduation their wish is grnted. However, haveing a hidden relationship can be dangerous. Canon,Angst. Extended Edition @ MomsDarkSecret's.
1. The Meeting

Hello minna! New story for you all.

Warnings: Shounen-ai (yaoi later)

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Chapter 1: The meeting

Treize pulled off his helmet with a long sigh. It had been a rough training session, but not because he lacked the skill to meet the challenges presented. He pushed the button to open the cockpit door and stared across at Orlan Coulson's mobile suit. The scars of laser fire marked the front and side of the suit and smoke curled up from the dangling left arm. Treize sighed again and climbed out of his cockpit. As he let the cable elevator drop him to the ground, he could hear the instructor screaming at Orlan, her voice rising to thunderous volume as she berated him for allowing the suit to be damaged. Treize fully expected to get an earful himself for not preventing the stupid mistake that resulted in Orlan's accident. After all, he had been in charge of the team. Orlan looked as if he were near tears. Instructor Tami Bell turned on Treize as he reached the ground and, as he expected, started in on him. He took the rebuke without a word, knowing it was justified. When Tami finally wound to a halt, he lifted his chin and met her eye.

"I am sorry for my failure, Instructor Bell," he said. "I will review the recording of this training session tonight and write a report detailing how I should have handled the situation."

Tami smiled. "You always know just what to say, Treize," she said with a laugh. "Very well, I will expect your report first thing tomorrow. I would also like you to recommend a remedial training plan for Orlan." She frowned at the young trainee, who was still standing by his mobile suit looking despondent. "I have to decide if he should be sent down."

Treize nodded. "Of course, Instructor." Treize felt sorry for Orlan, but not so sorry that he would not file an objective report. He tucked his helmet under his arm and started across the tarmac for the barracks. He was hungry, but what he really wanted was a shower and a moment of quiet.

As he neared the barracks, a group of trainees came out, laughing and talking among themselves. At the center of the group was a young man, the sight of whom stopped Treize's breath in his throat. The young man was strikingly handsome, with large blue eyes and long silver hair. His smile was intense and magnetic, lighting up his face and eyes. As they neared each other, the young man's eyes met Treize's, and Treize almost missed a step. The group parted to let Treize pass, but as he walked through them, the young man let his arm brush against Treize. Treize felt a small rush of pleasure at the contact, minor though it was. As he stepped through the barracks door, he couldn't help looking back, and found the young man looking back at him with a slight smile on his face. Treize smiled back just as the door swung shut, cutting off the sight. He drew in a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh. He had been careful since coming to the academy to avoid becoming involved with anyone, but for the first time, he found himself wondering if such strictness was really that important. Then he shook himself and forced his thoughts back to the day's lesson and the report he had to write that evening. This was no time to be daydreaming about a handsome youngster.

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"Who was that?" Zechs asked as the door closed on the handsome upperclassman.

"You don't know Treize Kushrandada?" asked Les Javi in astonishment. "I thought everyone knew who Treize was. He's the best student at the academy. He'll be in charge of his own unit when he graduates, most likely."

"That's Treize?" Zechs looked back toward the barracks for a moment. "He's younger than I thought."

"And cuter?" ribbed Les. She laughed when Zechs blushed.

"I just hadn't seen him before, that's all."

Les kept laughing and Zechs fell silent. Zechs was unused to sharing his feelings with other people. He could always act like he was enjoying himself in a group, but he could never quite forget that all his family was dead, except for his little sister who lived with another family, and didn't know about him. Thinking of her now made him wonder what she was like, and what she might be doing. At least it took his mind off of Treize. He'd never seen anyone so attractive. He wasn't quite sure what it was. The man was certainly very handsome; Zechs had always been partial to dark eyes with light hair. But there was more to it than that. There was something commanding about Treize that made you want to follow him. Zechs wondered what it would be like to fight with him.

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Zechs faced his opponent and presented his sword, holding it upright between his eyes. Then he swept it down to the right and fell into his stance. His opponent replicated the maneuver and then they both pointed their swords at each other. Zechs waited, allowing his opponent to attack first. At the other student's sudden lunge, Zechs stepped to the side, spun lightly on one foot and smacked the fellow across the back with the flat of his sword. The man stumbled and fell forward. Zechs quickly stepped close, put his foot in the middle of his back, and rested the tip of his sword just at the base of his opponent's skull.

"Well done, Zechs," Instructor Colby applauded. He looked around at the other students. "Did you see how Zechs did that? He waited for his opponent to make a move and used his momentum against him. Now I want you to divide into pairs and try it yourselves. Let Zito up, Zechs."

Zechs stepped back and took his foot off Zito's back. Zito climbed to his feet with a frown on his face. "Let's try that again, ok? I'll go first," Zechs said.

Zito brushed off his jacket and his frown faded. "All right."

When class ended, Zechs noticed for the first time that Treize was leaning against the wall just inside the door, watching. As Zechs pulled off his fencing hood, Treize started toward him. "That was well done," he remarked as he drew near.

Zechs tried to look nonchalant. "Zito started later in fencing class than the rest of us, he's still learning the techniques."

"That's not what I meant," Treize said. "When you offered to attack first so he could practice, after humiliating him, showed you have the makings of a leader."

"Thank you." Zechs met Treize's eyes. _My God, he's beautiful,_ Zechs thought. With an effort, he pushed the thought away. The academy was no place to start having those kinds of thoughts. "I have heard you are one of the best swordsmen in the academy, Lord Kushranada. I would be honored to spar with you sometime."

"It would be my pleasure, Count," Treize answered. He inclined his head and turned to leave. Then he paused and glanced back over his shoulder. "I'll be picking a team of trainees to compete against last years graduates at the alumni games this year. I'll be watching you on the mobile suit course tomorrow."

A shiver of excitement ran down Zechs' back. It would be a tremendous honor to compete in the alumni games. Being on a team with Treize would be something to talk about, even more. He smiled to himself as he pulled off his fencing jacket. He couldn't help feeling excited. This was turning into a very good year.

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Treize had a deliciously warm feeling running through his body. He had asked around to find out who the handsome, silver-haired trainee was. Zechs Merquise was a Count from the defunct Sanc Kingdom. His friends called him the Lightning Count because his reflexes were much faster than other men's. Treize had used his position as a member of the Romafeller Foundation to review Zechs' records and found that he was first in his class, just as Treize was. But as an upperclassman, he had little reason to speak to Zechs, unless he chose Zechs for his alumni games team. Well, given Zechs' skill, it was certainly reasonable for Treize to consider him, so he decided to approach him about it.

He found Zechs in fencing class. Treize loved fencing. To his mind, it was the purest form of combat between men. Standing face to face with your opponent, looking him in the eye as you tried to skewer him with your sword, was the noblest kind of fighting that he could imagine. All true gentlemen should know how to fence, he believed. He watched Zechs fence with deep pleasure.

Treize tried to keep his conversation casual when he spoke to Zechs after class, but it was hard. His eyes kept straying along the firm, clean-shaven lines of Zechs' face, and to his graceful, long-fingered hands. Even making an effort to keep his gaze fixed on Zechs' eyes was dangerous. He could lose himself in eyes that blue. But watching Zechs so closely, he saw the sudden glow of excitement and pride in his face at Treize's praise and subsequent invitation. Treize felt a corresponding rise of excitement in himself.

But as he left, he wondered what he was doing. Zechs was certainly worthy of joining his team, but so were many others, most of them more senior. It was bound to cause talk. Treize thought about that as he walked to the mobile suit hanger. He would have to come up with a good reason for choosing Zechs, one that would keep people from questioning his choice. He entered the hanger deep in thought.

"Treize!"

Treize looked around and saw Lady Une waving at him from the cockpit of her mobile suit. He waved back and then pointed at his own suit as he headed toward it. Treize was fond of Une, but sometimes she made him uncomfortable. Her feelings toward him seemed too intense sometimes. She was a good pilot, though, and had an uncanny ability to anticipate his moves in combat, and back him up just when he needed it most. Which was why, of course, he always made sure she was on another team during important combat training sessions. He did not want to learn to rely on her instincts. He was determined to rely on nothing but his own skill.

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That's all for now but it gets MUCH better later on!

Please Review!!

JA Minna-san!!!


	2. The Attraction Grows

Well, here is chapter 2.

Q&A!

Rune Essence: Unusual though it may be we all know it's true!

karina: Well thats good because all you will be seeing is the Ozzies! There the good guys in this!

Angel: I know she does! :3

Yay, people like this story! It's so cool. :3 I love this story!

Ryo: I do too. The warnings are some swearing and the shounen-ainess will be starting this chapter.

Disclaimer: We, unfortunatly, shall never own the treasure that is known as Gundam Wing. Except on DVD. :3

Now I shall stop rambaling and start the story.

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Chapter 2: The Attraction Grows

Treize entered the mobile suit hanger and took the slide down to the end where the mobile suits used by underclassmen were stored. The cockpit of one suit was open and Treize was not surprised to see Zechs kneeling on the lowered door, his upper body partly concealed as he leaned inside the access panel.

"Don't you trust the mechanics, Zechs?" Treize called.

Zechs sat back on his heels and smiled down at Treize. "I just like to take a look before I fight. If there's a mechanical failure, it's my butt out there, not the mechanic's."

"A man after my own heart," Treize replied. He stepped onto the service lift and let it carry him up level with Zechs. "How does it look?"

"Pretty good." Zechs wiped his hands on a rag and closed the access panel. He stood up, climbed into the cockpit and settled into the pilot seat. He flipped on the controls, watching the readouts as the suit went through its startup diagnostics. "I shouldn't have any problems."

Treize stepped onto the door and into the cockpit, twisting so he could see the displays as well. His face was within inches of Zechs' and he could feel the soft rush of Zechs' breath on his cheek. He turned and looked into Zechs' eyes. Zechs went still and he stared back at Treize without blinking.

"You are the most beautiful man I have ever seen," Treize whispered. Zechs' lips parted soundlessly. "I wish I had never set eyes on you," Treize murmured, and he leaned close and touched his lips to Zechs'. The kiss sent a blaze of heat through his body and he closed his eyes. His lips parted and he felt Zechs' tongue brush against his. He leaned closer, letting the kiss grow deeper as desire suffused him. Zechs kissed him back, his long hair brushing against Treize's face.

Treize wanted the kiss to last forever. It filled him with a longing like nothing he had ever known. Zechs did nothing to stop him; he did not resist at all. Only the growing ache of his need made Treize realize what was happening. It took all of his strength and will power to pull himself away, to draw his mouth away from Zechs'. He stared at Zechs, fighting the urge to kiss him again.

"We can't do this," he whispered. "Fraternization is forbidden."

"I know," Zechs answered, his face flushed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"It wasn't your fault," Treize interrupted. He stepped back, moving outside the cockpit. "I should know better." He stepped onto the lift and turned to look at Zechs as he exited the cockpit behind him. "Let's agree not to speak of it. Nothing else has changed. I still want you on my team next month."

Zechs looked both surprised and relieved. "Thank you, Lord Kushranada. I promise I won't disappoint you."

"I know you won't," Treize answered. "We'll speak again after the exercise." He thumbed the switch and looked down as the lift dropped him back to the main floor.

- - - - - - - - - -

Zechs was glad he had the upcoming training exercise to focus his attention and take his mind off of what had just happened between him and Treize Kushranada. Zechs was used to people being attracted to him. He knew his appearance and manner were appealing, but he had never expected to draw the attention of someone as important as the young Duke of Luxembourg. Since the fall of the Sanc Kingdom, Zechs' title was more honor than substance. He had little of the wealth and power enjoyed by nobles of healthy nations. The fact that he choose not to go by his given name was taken by many of those who knew his real identity as an admission of shame. But it was not that. Becoming a soldier was against the teachings of his father and the tenets by which he was raised. He refused to sully his family's great name when the time came for him to fight and kill in the name of duty.

So he focused his attention on the job ahead and pushed all thoughts of Treize and that thrilling kiss out of his mind. Treize was right, anyway. Fraternization was against Academy policy. Violating that rule could get them both kicked out.

Zechs moved into formation with his unit and prepared for battle. His team of five would be engaging another team of five underclassmen, who were training under a different instructor. Each instructor had their own techniques and tricks that they imparted to their students. Zechs always found these simulated combats instructive on a variety of levels. Each mobile suit had a single large-caliber machine gun. The ammunition was designed to not impart significant damage to other suits, but could disable them if the right spots were targeted. The suits were all Leos, so the teams would fight on foot. In this exercise, Zechs' team was to attack and attempt to destroy a simulated command post housed in a concrete bunker. The other team was to defend. The exercise would be observed from a safe distance by the instructors and others, including Treize.

Zechs shut that thought out of his mind as he and his teammates moved into their starting positions. The defenders had moved into position around the bunker, their guns leveled at the offense.

Zechs thumbed on his radio. "All right, Blue Team, let's see how quickly we can reduce that command post to rubble," he commanded. "Blue 2 and 3, break left and come in with the sun behind you. Blue 4, go straight in and cut left to draw their fire. Blue 5, you and I will start to circle around to the right to get behind them. We should draw at least two defenders. Once we get them looking in different directions, we'll get an opening."

A chorus of "Right, Blue 1" and "Roger that, Blue 1" chirped out of the speaker, and then they fell silent, waiting for Zechs. He signaled the start of the offense by raising his gun, firing straight at the waiting defenders and charging forward.

The battle went quickly, as Zechs' fights always did. He pushed the suit to its limits, forcing every ounce of speed and maneuverability out of it that he could. The readouts always showed the suit controls close to burning out, but he knew exactly how far he could push it. Even knowing how fast he was, the defenders facing him were never quite ready to counter him. As they turned to maintain fire on his team as they separated, as he knew they would have to, he circled to the right with Blue 5 for only seconds, before cutting back in mid-stride, spinning on one foot with his machine gun blazing, and charging straight in on a startled defender. Les Javi, a little ahead of him in Blue 5, spun too and began firing at the same mobile suit from the side, and he went down. She began taking fire and turned to defend herself, but the damage was done. Zechs, moving faster than any of the defenders, leaped over the fallen Leo and sprayed the bunker with machine gun fire. Three of the remaining defenders turned to fire at him in an attempt to save the bunker, but this put their backs to Blues 2, 3 and 4. All three went down and the fifth, seeing it was pointless, dropped his gun in surrender.

The entire battle had taken less than ninety seconds.

"Well done, Blue Team." Their instructor's voice sounded almost smug. He had obviously expected the outcome. "I'll expect you all for a post-exercise debriefing in Classroom 3A in one hour."

He keyed off, not waiting for their replies. None was really required.

Zechs rounded up his team and started them back toward the mobile suit hanger. None of them was too damaged to return under their own power, unlike the Red Team. Two of their suits were still down and the pilots were standing outside the open cockpits.

"I'm glad I ain't them," Les Javi announced with a laugh. "They'll be getting their debriefing and an ass-whuppin' right there, I betcha!"

"They already had their ass-whuppin'!" Corbin Dowl, in Blue 3, chimed in. "They got it Lightning Count-style! Hoo-ya!"

The other team members echoed the shout and Zechs grinned.

In the hanger, he started the diagnostics as he climbed out of the cockpit. The mechanic, waiting on the lift outside for the door to open, grinned at him. "You didn't burn it out again did you, Sir?" she asked good-naturedly.

"Not this time." They traded places and Zechs rode the lift down. Treize was waiting for him on the main floor.

"I am very impressed, Count," he said as Zechs stepped off the lift. "I think the mobile suit is actually limiting your abilities."

Zechs was startled. Although everyone knew his reflexes were fast, he didn't think anyone realized that he could move faster than the suit could perform. Most people believed mobile suit technology exceeded the capacity of human beings. That was why scientists were working on computer programs that could pilot the mobile suits and operate them at maximum efficiency.

"I do have to watch that I don't burn out the suit's systems," he answered carefully.

Treize studied him for a moment, his dark eyes boring intently into Zechs'. "Perhaps I will have to build a suit one day that can keep up with you, Lightning Count." He continued to gaze at Zechs for several heartbeats. "I definitely want you on my team next month. The two of us together will be unstoppable."

"I am at your disposal, Lord Kushranada."

"Call me Treize. We'll start training together next week. I'll speak to your instructors to make time in your schedule." He turned on his heel and walked away.

Zechs watched him go until he was out of sight. Suddenly, he could remember exactly what it felt like to have Treize's mouth pressed against his. A coil of warm desire began to unwind in his loins. He looked around, wondering if anyone had seen him staring after Treize. Quickly, he headed for the barracks, hoping he had time for a cold shower before the debriefing.

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So there you go people!  
  
Review!  
Review!  
You know you want too!!!  
I'll post faster if you do!

Ryo: Arg, poetry.

Shut it you!


	3. Fighting Temptation

Chapter 3: Fighting temptation

Training with Zechs was like a beautiful dance. Treize wondered if he would ever find out how fast the Lightning Count really was. These training mobile suits were old, but they were the same Leo models that soldiers used in the field. Most people thought Treize hated to lose, but they were wrong. Treize was always happy to lose to an opponent who could beat him on skill alone. Zechs was already skilled enough that he could push Treize to his limits. Treize could only imagine how good he would be after three more years of training.

He thumbed on his radio. "That's enough for today, Zechs. You've worn me out."

"Just when I was about to knock you on your ass."

Treize laughed. "Cocky youngster! I should trounce you thoroughly for that over-confident remark, but the sun is setting."

"We could go infrared and keep practicing in the dark."

"You haven't received classroom instruction on working with night vision, yet. It's not as easy as it sounds."

"As you command, Lord Kushranada," Zechs answered. He shouldered his rifle and began lumbering back toward the base.

Treize fell into step with him, his rifle slung over his shoulder as well. He knew Zechs was teasing him. The only time he called Treize "Lord Kushranada" anymore was when he was trying to get a rise out of him. They were far out in the practice field, and it grew steadily darker as they marched back to the base. There was still enough light to see where they were going, though, as the afterglow of sunset filled the sky with a deep violet glow, fading to brilliant aqua and pink just above the western horizon. Zechs stopped walking and turned his Leo to look at the sunset.

"That's really beautiful, don't you think?"

"Yes, it is," Treize agreed. He stopped to look as well, and after a moment, opened the cockpit door and stepped out to get a better view. Zechs did the same.

"I never look at the sunset anymore," Zechs said wistfully. "It always reminds me of home." He sounded very sad and Treize looked over at him.

"Zechs, come down." Treize gripped the lift cable and dropped quickly to the ground. He walked across to Zechs' mobile suit and waited for Zechs to drop down beside him. The glow of the sky made his hair shimmer like starlight and his eyes looked violet. There was a wounded look on his face, as if mentioning home had actually hurt him somehow.

"Zechs," Treize began softly, "Our past shapes us, but we must never let it control us. What happened to your people was terrible." Zechs nodded without speaking. The look on his face made him look vulnerable, and much younger than he was. Treize cupped his right hand against Zechs' cheek. "If you ever want to talk about it, please come to me. I want to be your friend."

"You are my friend, Treize," Zechs answered simply. He looked steadily into Treize's eyes, his open expression showing suppressed desire.

It was too much. Without another word, Treize kissed him. His right hand slid into the soft folds of Zechs' hair, his left arm encircling his shoulders. Zechs' arms wrapped around him and he kissed Treize hungrily, his lips moving against Treize's with desperate urgency, his tongue stroking against Treize's tongue. Treize lost himself in that kiss. Raging desire surged through his veins and his knees buckled. They sank to the ground, wrapped in each other's arms, locked in that passionate embrace. Treize came to his senses only when he realized Zechs was trying to undress him. And that he was starting to undress Zechs. He caught Zechs' hands and pulled them up to his mouth.

"No," he whispered into the palm of Zechs' hand. "We can't." He didn't look at Zechs; he didn't dare. "If we do this, we can never see each other again." He pressed Zechs' hands against his cheek. "I couldn't bear it if I could never see you again."

They lay in silence for a long time, without moving. Finally, Zechs pulled his hands out of Treize's grip and sat up.

"It's been a long time since I let myself feel anything about anyone," he said softly. "I will never believe that the way I feel about you is wrong. I love you, Treize Kushranada." He stood up and walked back to his mobile suit.

Treize let him start back before getting up to return to his own mobile suit. He stared at the last trace of light on the horizon as the cockpit door closed. "I love you, Zechs Merquise."

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

Chapter 3 is done now. I admit it's a little short so I'll post the next chappy also.


	4. Living With Desire

Like I said the fourth chappy as well. This is fun because it's time for the alumni games!

Grab some popcorn, a friend/yami/demon/whatever, and enjoy

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Chapter 4: Living with desire

Zechs was surprised how easy it was to work with Treize, despite the almost overwhelming passion he felt for him. Perhaps knowing that Treize was fighting the same desires made it easier. They continued training together, and with the other students Treize had chosen for his team, for the upcoming alumni games. Zechs was relieved, if not a little surprised, that no one seemed to be aware of the affection they had for each other. That, too, made it easier working with Treize. And the training gave them a legitimate excuse to spend time together, even if every moment alone with Treize was torture.

Which was not to say there were no problems. Quite a number of Treize's classmates, and not a few of the third year students, were upset that Treize had chosen a first-year student to be on his team, even someone as obviously skilled as Zechs Merquise. Fortunately, most people grumbled that it was because of Zechs' noble heritage, overlooking the fact that half of the people on the team were common-born citizens. Oddly, though, the one person who bothered Zechs the most was the one who never said anything at all: Lady Une. Lady Une accepted Zechs' presence on the team as if it were a natural consequence. She was a skilled soldier, and Zechs enjoyed working with her, but off the training field, she made him uncomfortable. It took him time to admit to himself that the reason was because she was so obviously in love with Treize. Even knowing that he couldn't have Treize for himself, he hated the idea that Treize might come to love someone else. But Treize showed no sign of returning Une's affection. He treated her as an equal off the field, and as a subordinate in combat.

The alumni games were a four day event in which Academy graduates, officers from all divisions of the Alliance Military and members of the Romafeller Foundation would observe the senior students and decide where to post them after graduation. A good showing in the alumni games could make a student's career, because it could result in a coveted posting. A poor showing, on the other hand, could relegate a student to a backwater assignment where he or she would have no chance to advance. All fourth year students and many third year students competed in the games, forming teams to battle it out on the training fields. Zechs was the only first or second year student ever to be selected to compete in the alumni games. He knew he would be subjected to a great deal of scrutiny. That did not really bother him, except that he knew it would reflect badly on Treize if he did not do well. So he intended to do well.

The combat was a simple tier, with winning teams from each paired battle advancing to the next level. Teams were ranked not only by whether they won or lost, but also on how well they acquitted themselves in their contests. The entire team received the same ranking, while individuals from a team could be singled out for special honors if unusual skill was demonstrated. Zechs was not interested in earning individual honors, but he wanted Treize's team to win the top honor. He knew they were capable of that.

Sixty-four teams would enter the combat initially. The sixty-four team captains were chosen by the senior class instructors, and then each captain choose the other nine members of his or her team. Since there were only 419 students in the senior class, this allowed a fair number of third year students the chance to compete as well. In order to make the battles as fair as possible, each team was given a flag to defend; but to win, a team had to capture the enemy flag. This required them to plan both an offensive and a defensive strategy. There would be two combats a day for the first two days, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. All the pairings would be drawn by lot immediately before the contests, which was supposed to prevent any one team from planning a strategy based on the knowledge of a specific opponent.

Of course, this meant Treize just studied them all. Zechs often sat with him while Treize was going over his notes and making his plans, but he usually didn't say anything. On this afternoon, only two days before the start of the games, he lounged in an empty classroom with Treize, his feet up on a desk, while Treize drew diagrams on the board.

"There, what do you think of that?" Treize asked as he stepped back, studying his work.

"Not bad," Zechs answered.

Treize frowned at him. "Did you even look?"

"Of course, Treize. I watch everything you do." Zechs looked at him through the silver spill of the bangs hanging over his eyes.

Treize's frown faded into an affectionate smile. "Don't look at me like that, it gives me ideas."

Zechs tossed his hair back and smiled. "I can't help it, I have the same ideas."

Treize turned and leaned back against the board with his hands behind him. "Are you nervous about the games? I'm afraid everyone's going to be watching us."

Zechs shook his head. "If I didn't have faith enough in my own skill, I would still have faith in your judgment. No matter how you might feel about me, I know you wouldn't have chosen me if I wasn't good enough."

"We can win the whole thing, you know."

"I know."

"Good." Treize turned back to the board. "So tell me what you think of this. Last year, the team that should have gone all the way lost in the fifth round because they didn't change their strategy. I plan to change my strategy after each round. That's why I've had us practicing so many different formations."

"It's a good idea."

"All my ideas are good," Treize replied with a smirk. "So I'll decide which plan we're going to use depending on who we draw." He touched the board controls to save his diagram and erase the screen. He walked over to Zechs and sat on the desk next to Zechs' feet. "This will make your reputation, Lightning Count."

"Do you want more than my thanks, Lord Kushranada?" Zechs lifted his chin and met Treize's eyes squarely. Treize drew in his breath and put his hand on Zechs' ankle, but he said nothing. Zechs held his gaze for a long moment and then dropped his eyes. "I'm sorry, Treize. My feelings make me shameless, sometimes."

Treize let his breath out in a soft sigh. "It's all right, Zechs. I'm guilty of the same thing." He squeezed Zechs' ankle and stood up. "Let's go strut around the base for a while. Quite a few alums are here already and I always enjoy giving them the chance to talk about me."

Zechs stood up with a smile and followed Treize out of the room.

- - - - - - -

They won their first two combats handily. In the first contest, their opponents clearly were not prepared to face Treize and Zechs together. In fact, they seemed to have completely underestimated Zechs' speed. They only realized their mistake when they saw their disarmed team captain lying on his back, with Treize standing over him waving their captured flag. The second team to face them found Treize and Lady Une taking the offensive, while Zechs lead the defense of their flag. They fared no better than the first team.

Zechs did not attend any of the dinners held that night. Treize missed him. Zechs might be a Count, but he possessed none of the arrogant, self-important mannerisms displayed by most of the Romafeller nobility. His straightforward honesty was one of his most appealing characteristics. On his good days, Treize assured himself that it was these fine personality traits that attracted him to Zechs, and not just the god-like beauty that kept him in a state of semi-arousal whenever they were together. But there was nothing arousing about the people around him tonight. Romafeller nobles really only cared about two things: power and money. Which of course made controlling them fairly easy, and Treize was already quite good at that, despite his relative youth. But the necessity of maintaining his political position in society didn't make him miss Zechs any less.

"Why did Count Zechs not attend the dinner tonight, Lord Treize?" Lady Une appeared suddenly at his elbow, holding two glasses of champagne.

Treize accepted one of the glasses and sipped from it before answering. "Zechs has little patience for hypocrisy," he replied casually. Lady Une was the one person he feared might discover his emotional attachment to Zechs. It was telling that the first words out of her mouth tonight were about him.

"Ah. Well that would certainly explain why he avoided this gathering." She sipped her own champagne. "I have heard a few people speaking of him, however, wondering why he snubbed them."

Treize frowned. "Zechs would never intentionally insult anyone."

"Of course not," Une agreed. "Nevertheless, his absence is being taken by some as a sign of disrespect."

"Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Lady Une." Treize looked around at the gathered nobles, feeling an irrational anger. Zechs was his! They had no right to second-guess his intentions. Keeping his voice calm, but raising it slightly so that it would carry beyond Une to those nearest him, he remarked, "Perhaps they should consider forgiving him for carrying a grudge over the destruction of his homeland. I do not blame him for finding it difficult to socialize with those who might be responsible for the death of his family." He felt vindictively pleased at the looks of guilt that appeared suddenly on faces around the room as his words were repeated. He looked at Une. "I think it's time we retired for the evening, Lady Une. We have another contest tomorrow morning, and one in the afternoon as well, I expect."

"Yes sir."

He allowed Une to precede him, refusing to do more than nod to people as he passed them on the way out. They would learn. Zechs Merquise was going to become a force in the world, with or without Treize Kushranada.

- - - - - - -

For their third battle, Treize put Lady Une in charge of the offense, with Zechs backing her up, and took over defense of the team flag himself. From the way they scrambled around at the last minute, changing their formation, it was clear their opponents had expected to be facing Treize on offense and had not prepared for this eventuality. Treize was known for his aggression on the battlefield; no one expected him to voluntarily take the less aggressive role of defense. Changing their battle plan was probably a mistake. It certainly didn't prevent the outcome. They were still trying to organize an offense against Treize's pitched defense when Zechs cleared a path for Lady Une, allowing her to capture their flag.

"Well done, Kushrans!" Treize congratulated them over the radio. Zechs chuckled when he heard it. 'Kushrans' was a term used by jealous academy students to refer to Treize's sycophants. They meant it to be insulting, but Treize's friends found it rather amusing and had begun using it among themselves as a joke. Zechs hadn't been aware that Treize had herd the term, but obviously he had. "Let's meet in Classroom 16B as soon as we can. I want to go over the plan for this afternoon," Treize continued. "I'll have lunch brought in."

Zechs' "Aye" sounded like an echo of the others chirping out of his radio. He headed his mobile suit toward the maintenance yard set up on the edge of the training field, where the combats were taking place. He'd pushed it rather hard and the servos in the right arm were complaining. As he opened the cockpit door, the mechanic was already shaking her head.

"Don't tell me," she began before he could speak, "You burned out the right arm again."

"It's not burned out." Zechs sounded defensive, even to himself. "Maybe overheated a little."

"Right." The mechanic lifted an eyebrow at him. "And I suppose you'll want it all fixed before this afternoon."

"I think Lord Kushranada would prefer that."

"Yeah, I daresay he would." She waved him out of the cockpit. "Well, get out of the way then and let us get started." As he moved past her, she winked at him. "Don't worry, sir. It'll be good as new when you need it."

Zechs took the cable lift down and hurried to catch up with Treize.

"How's your suit?" Treize asked as soon as Zechs fell in step with him.

"It'll be fine by this afternoon." Zechs wasn't surprised that Treize had been able to tell he'd over-extended his Leo. "But it might be better if I'm on defense this afternoon."

"That's good, it fits my plan. Although I was planning to have you move around quite a bit."

"That shouldn't be a problem."

Treize's plan for their afternoon contest was shockingly bold. They were facing a team captained by a woman, Alexa Barnard, who was considered to be almost as good as Treize. He knew she would have studied his tactics and would have prepared many contingencies, so he needed to do something completely unexpected.

When the battle started, Zechs and five defenders waited for the attack. But moments after it began, Zechs plucked up their flag and danced backward, machine gun blazing, while three defenders moved with him, taking up positions on either side and in front of him. The other two defenders rushed forward to join the offense. Alexa had sent five in for the attack and kept five back for the defense. This left her with superior numbers on the offense, but at a disadvantage on defense. Her defense settled in to form a pitched line around their flag, ready to repel the superior numbers, while her offense confidently moved to surround Zechs. Zechs let them get just far enough to think they would succeed, before handing the flag to one of his teammates and driving his Leo forward at top speed, charging straight into the suit in front of him and driving him to the ground. He fired point blank into the Leo's control panel and then spun around to fire at the Leo on his left. The mobile suit went down and he dashed back to fill in the hole in the defensive perimeter around the teammate holding their flag. With superior numbers, they now had no trouble holding off the attack until Treize and Lady Une were able to break the opposition's defense and take their flag.

Treize was silent as they headed back to the barracks to shower and change for dinner. Zechs had agreed to attend the dinner hosted by the Romafeller Foundation, but he wasn't particularly happy about it, so he was silent as well. Lady Une walked with them, her usually braided hair spilling in soft brown waves over her shoulders.

"You don't seem happy about our victory, Lord Treize," Lady Une said finally.

"I am, but it was unfortunate that we had to meet Alexa Barnard so early in the competition. She would have made it to the final match, otherwise." Treize sighed. "I just hope the judges recognize her abilities. She's a damn good soldier and a superior leader."

Zechs had to agree with that. This was by far the most difficult battle they'd fought. If not for his unpredictable speed, the battle could have gone either way. And now he had to face a battle of a different kind. Three hours of smiling and lying and pretending he didn't hate half the people he spoke to. The only thing that made the idea bearable was the knowledge that Treize would be there. If only they could be alone, instead of surrounded by a bunch of hypocritical murderers.

But they couldn't be alone. Being alone with Treize without something to keep him distracted from the soul-consuming depths of Treize's dark eyes was dangerous. He couldn't help thinking about the last kiss they'd shared, out on the practice field after sunset weeks before, and wondering if there would ever come a time when they could do more than kiss.

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I love this chapter. Mom out did herself I think. But she'd really like it if more people would review the story…she feels underappreciated. Next chappy will be kinda sad for a pre-warning.


	5. Painful Goodbyes

Hello everyone! This chappy has a sad ending. I almost cried!

Rune Essence: Guess what, this is the last chappy before the fraternization rule don't apply…not that I can post that part here. And mom says 'thanks for the complement.'

Visitor-to-the-Echoside: HEY! I know you! Anyway trust me the rest is way better! O, and incase you wanted to know I started writing the next chapter of Acting.

Thanks to the other two who reviewed! Here's the next chapter!

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Chapter 5: Painful goodbyes

The third day of combat ended up being easier than the second. Treize wasn't quite sure why. Perhaps they were just comfortable working together now. Or maybe it was because everyone else had just accepted the inevitable. In any event, they came through their last battle seemingly without effort, and found themselves being lauded for the achievement of reaching the final tier. Treize still felt their opponent at this point should have been Alexa Barnard, but instead they would face Dalken Curzon.

Dalken Curzon was ranked third in their class, but he was convinced he was better than everyone. He did not accept that Treize and Alexa were both ranked above him. He was certain that his lower ranking was because Alexa and Treize both were members of the Romafeller Foundation and he was not. Treize suspected that it had more to do with Dalken's inherent arrogance and the fact that most people didn't like him. Dalken also had a tendency to always give himself the most important position in training sessions, so he always had a chance to show off his skills. He never bothered to utilize the skills of people on his team, unless he had to. He had already earned several individual honors in the games, which suited his personality. In Treize's opinion, it was probably just luck his team had made it this far.

Reviewing the recordings of Dalken's battles, Treize concluded that he could beat him, if he chose to be particularly vicious. Dalken relied on his strength and speed. But Zechs was undoubtedly faster. Much faster. And Zechs had better instincts. Treize looked at his team, waiting expectantly for his instructions. They all had that relaxed, confident look that comes from knowing one will win.

"Until now, we've worked very closely as a team, and that's why we've won." There were nods all around. Treize continued. "Today, we're going to make one small change. Zechs, I want you to engage Dalken in single combat." Zechs blinked in surprise. "He will expect me to challenge him, and he will leave the rest of his team to sink or swim on whatever defensive plan he's set up. It will probably be a good plan, but he won't have planned for me to be on the attack. Lady Une, I want you to defend the flag. Yuki, Jane, Nguyen and Chris will provide your perimeter. The rest of us will take offense." Treize grinned humorlessly. "Dalken will think he can make quick work of you, Zechs. I expect you to eliminate him quickly in the most humiliating way possible and then help us take their flag."

"He's very good, Treize," Zechs replied.

Treize's grin widened. "Yes, he is. But frankly, I think you're better."

"Yeah, you can take him, Zechs!" Yuki chimed in.

"Stick it up his nose!" Chris shouted.

"Or somewhere else!" Boris, another teammate, added with a harsh laugh.

This inspired several even cruder remarks about how Zechs could humiliate Dalken and he finally smiled. "I am at your command, Lord Kushranada."

The battle was everything Treize wanted. Zechs crushed Dalken in less than a minute, sidestepping Dalken's overconfident charge and knocking him face first to the ground, where he sprayed the fallen Leo's shoulders and knees with machine gun fire, knocking out the servos so that Dalken couldn't even turn over. Which meant he wouldn't be able to exit his suit until the mechanics came out with their big equipment to turn the Leo face up. Without their captain, the rest of Dalken's team lost confidence and they folded quickly, allowing Treize to capture their flag with little effort.

All of Dalken's honors would seem hollow now. He'd been beaten, badly, by a first year student. Treize hoped this would also make Alexa Barnard look better. Her team had put up a much better fight. He exited his suit and walked to where the team was rushing over to mob Zechs, pounding him on the back and tousling his hair. Zechs was smiling broadly, but his face simply lit up when he saw Treize. He struggled to free himself from his teammate's hands and straighten his uniform as Treize approached.

"Did I do all right, sir?" he asked, still smiling.

"That was perfect, Zechs. Thank you." Treize smiled back. What he wanted to do was enfold Zechs in his arms and kiss him until the rest of the world disappeared, but instead, he extended his hand so that Zechs could clasp it in a comradely shake. He looked around at the rest of the team's beaming faces. These were good people. They deserved this victory. "We'd better go get cleaned up for the awards ceremony," he told them. "Thank you, everyone, for a job well done. I never had any doubt we would end up here."

"It's an honor to serve with you, Lord Treize," Lady Une spoke for all of them.

- - - - - - -

Zechs stood in front of the mirror in his room, examining his reflection. His dress uniform was utterly spotless. His boots gleamed brighter than the stars at night. His face was clean shaven and his hair was brushed until it shone like liquid silver. No freshman had ever stood on the stage to receive an Academy Achievement Medal before, but that wasn't why he was staring at his reflection now. He wanted to make Treize proud. His performance, his appearance, everything about him for the rest of the evening would reflect on Treize, and Zechs would do nothing to embarrass him.

A knock on his door drew him out of his contemplation, and his heart skipped a beat when he opened the door to find Treize waiting on the other side. Treize looked every inch the nobleman, even wearing his Academy dress uniform. His brown hair was brushed into smooth waves, but stray curls still spilled against his forehead. His dark eyes sparkled with pleasure at the sight of Zechs.

"You look very handsome, my dear Count," he said softly.

Zechs stepped back so Treize could enter the room. Knowing full well that he shouldn't, Zechs closed the door behind him. Treize turned to face him, his eyes boring into Zechs'. He moved closer and Zechs took an instinctive step backward, but he was stopped by his back bumping into the door. Treize leaned against the door, his hands resting on either side of Zechs' head.

"I would much rather spend this evening alone with you, Zechs," he said, "but we have a duty to perform tonight." He leaned closer, until his face was mere inches from Zechs'. "I hate thinking about it, but I will graduate soon, and then we won't see each other at all anymore."

Zechs stared back into Treize's dark eyes. His pulse was racing and desire made him ache all over. "Then kiss me and don't talk about it."

If Treize was surprised by his request, he didn't show it. He leaned the rest of the way in and pressed his lips to Zechs'. Zechs opened his mouth and stroked his tongue against Treize's lips. Treize responded by opening his mouth and sliding his tongue between Zechs' lips. They kissed deeply for a long time.

"Lord Treize, Count Zechs, we're going to be late." Lady Une's voice on the other side of the door startled them both.

Treize quickly stepped back, instinctively straightening his uniform. Zechs did the same before pulling the door open. Une's eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at them, and Zechs wondered if she suspected. He wondered how long she had been standing on the other side of the door. But she said nothing. She just turned to lead the way down the hall and Treize moved out to follow her. Zechs closed his door and trailed after them, trying once again to focus on making Treize proud of him. There was still the ceremony and banquet to get through, after all.

- - - - - - -

Graduation was simultaneously the proudest and the saddest moment of Treize's life. He had worked hard to get to this point. He'd earned his position as first in his class and he accepted the award with appropriate modesty. But graduation meant being posted away from the Victoria Base and he did not know when he would be able to see Zechs again. Even suffering with unfulfilled desire seemed better than not seeing Zechs at all. But nothing could be done about that. There always had to be an ending, it seemed.

But Treize was not going to leave without saying goodbye. The graduation ceremony was held during the day. The Romafeller Foundation would be hosting a graduation dinner in the evening, at which Treize would be the guest of honor, so he had to attend, but until then, he was free. And Treize knew where he could find Zechs. He borrowed a car and drove out onto the training field, heading west. He found Zechs well away from the Base on a small hill, sitting on the hood of a car he'd borrowed, watching the sun set. Treize parked his car next to Zechs and climbed up onto the hood to sit beside him.

"I hoped you'd come," Zechs said without looking at him.

"You knew I had to," Treize replied. He put his arm around Zechs. "I'll be leaving after tonight."

Zechs sighed. "Then this is our last night together." He looked at Treize, his blue eyes shining with unshed tears. "But I'm still a student of the Academy. Fraternization is still forbidden." He cupped Treize's cheek in his hand, staring at Treize hungrily. "I would give anything to make love with you."

Treize very nearly lost control. He pulled Zechs into his arms and buried his face in Zechs' hair. "I love you more than anything in this world, Zechs Merquise," he whispered. "Never forget that. I will find a way for us to be together, I promise you." He held Zechs tightly, afraid to move, afraid to let go, because he didn't know what would happen if he did. Zechs held him just as tightly, the soft whisper of his breath tickling Treize's ear.

"I will always be yours, Treize Kushranada, whether we are together or not."

Treize didn't kiss him. At this time, in this place, to kiss him would be the first step into lovemaking. He released Zechs and slipped to the ground without looking at him. "I will come back for you, Lightning Count." He drove away without looking back.

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:: sniff ::

Ryo: (sigh) There is the end of their school days together. For all ye faithful the next chapter will be a good one. But if you read it here it will be edited.

Sucks don't it? If you want to read the real thing go to and you can look for the fic by it's name or by my pen name there : Riyo Dragon. Now review and tell us what you think. You know the more people who do the sooner the next chappy will be up.


	6. Reunion

Alright time for Chapter 6(edited)

To the one and only reviewer Rune. It'll get much better tust me. But unfortunatly it was edited for content.

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Chapter 6: Reunion

Treize had had opportunities to return to the Victoria Base. He had been invited several times to be a judge at the alumni games, but he had always declined. Treize doubted that he could see Zechs and keep his hands off him. Even after three years of separation, he still had dreams about Zechs from which he woke aching with desire. But today was different. Zechs had graduated. Tonight, the Romafeller Foundation would honor him and other students from the senior class for their achievements.

Of course, it was something of an insult that he was not being honored all by himself. Zechs was the only student in the history of the Victoria Base Academy to participate in the alumni games all four years of his attendance, and he was just the fifth student to participate on two winning teams. His team had won the alumni games this year.

But Zechs still refused, it seemed, to play politics the way Romafeller nobility liked it. So they honored him, but still held their noses in the air. As if Zechs would care. Treize longed to see him, but he nevertheless arrived fashionably late at the expensive manor where the banquet was being held. The banquet and awards ceremony would already be over, and the attendees settled down to the serious business of mingling, backstabbing and plotting. He worked his way through the room, doing his own share of trouble-making, while he looked for Zechs.

When he finally saw him, Treize had to fight to keep from dashing across the room and sweeping Zechs into his arms. It seemed impossible, but he had forgotten how utterly beautiful Zechs was. He forced himself to approach Zechs in a sedate and dignified manner. He had not quite reached him when Zechs turned and saw him. His blue eyes widened slightly and a hint of a smile touched his shapely lips. He didn't say anything as Treize drew near.

"It is good to see you again, my dear Count," Treize said, praying that his voice sounded normal.

"It is good to see you also, Lord Kushranada. It's been too long." Zechs' eyes were fixed on his and Treize had to struggle to keep breathing. Desire was burning through him, robbing him of the power of speech. He stared at Zechs, unable to think of anything except how much he wanted this man. Finally, fighting to keep his voice calm and level, Treize forced himself to speak.

"If you don't mind, Count Zechs, I would like to speak with you alone for a moment about your career plans."

Zechs bowed slightly. "I am at your service, my lord."

Treize led the way, knowing exactly where he was going. He had been in this manor many times and he knew the layout. He knew people were watching them leave and he hoped it wouldn't cause too much talk, but at this point, he didn't care. The only thing that mattered was Zechs.

- - - - - - - - -

"In here," Treize murmured, as he opened a dark paneled door. Zechs stepped through and Treize moved in behind him, pushing the door shut and throwing the deadbolt. It was a beautifully appointed sitting room, of the sort where fine ladies and gentlemen would gather to listen to music or discuss politics. But Treize led the way quickly across the room to another door. As he entered the next room, Zechs smiled. It was a bedroom. There was no doubt in his mind now that Treize was ending their self-imposed separation. As Treize closed and bolted this second door, Zechs removed the jacket of his dress uniform and hung it carefully over a chair back. As Treize moved to do the same, Zechs calmly removed his boots, stockings and trousers, hanging the latter neatly over the chair as well. Then he turned to look at Treize, wearing only his shirt and underpants.

Treize regarded him for a long moment before removing his own trousers. Then he stepped close and enfolded Zechs in his arms. "I have missed you, Lightning Count," he said. "I never knew, until we were apart, how much your love meant to me."

Zechs put his arms around Treize's waist and lifted his lips for a kiss. Treize kissed him deeply, awakening Zechs' desire. He slid his hands up between Treize's arms and began unbuttoning his shirt. Treize kept kissing him, making the undressing awkward, but Zechs persisted until he could push the shirt open, sliding his hands across Treize's muscular chest. He leaned down, pressing his lips against Treize's warm skin, loving the taste and the scent of him. Treize put a hand under his chin and lifted his mouth back up for more kisses. At the same time, he began walking Zechs backward, until Zechs felt the edge of the bed against the back of his knees. He fell onto the bed and Treize climbed on top of him, continuing to kiss him. Treize unbuttoned his shirt and helped Zechs pull his arms out of it. Zechs pushed Treize's shirt off his shoulders and down his arms.

Then Treize sat up on his knees and pushed his underpants down. He shifted from knee to knee to strip completely, and then he hooked his fingers into the waistband of Zechs' underpants and yanked them down. He lay back down beside Zechs, one arm underneath him, the other cupped against Zechs' cheek as he began kissing him again. Zechs inched his way farther onto the bed and Treize moved with him, until their feet were no longer hanging off the edge.

(Begin edit)

As Treize touched him, Zechs began to ache with the need to make love with him. He pulled Treize close, caressing him gently, feeling his body respond to that loving touch. As they began to make love, the intimacy of it touched him more deeply than he would ever have imagined. Perhaps it was simply because it was Treize who was with him, melding his body with Zechs' in the most primal act known to man. But this was the culmination of the love he had held in check for so many years, finally set free to express itself in the most basic way imaginable. He clung to Treize, gasping helplessly as joy filled him. He was only dimly aware of Treize's answering groan of ecstasy.

As his shudders subsided, he opened his eyes and found Treize's face inches from his own. Treize gazed intently into his eyes for a moment, and then lowered his mouth to Zechs', kissing him long and deeply.

"I have waited so long to be with you like this," Treize whispered. "I have never loved anyone the way I love you."

"You are the only man I will ever love," Zechs answered softly. "But I must be dreaming, for it seems wrong to be this joyful."

"If this is a dream, then it is a beautiful dream, and I pray I shall never wake," said Treize. "If I could spend the rest of my life in your arms, I would call my life fulfilled." He kissed Zechs again, his tongue sliding in to stroke warmly and softly against Zechs' lips and tongue.

Zechs kissed him back, content to lie there, suffused with the warm afterglow of his climax.

- - - -

Zechs awoke early the next morning cuddled against Treize's side, his right arm behind Treize's neck and his left arm draped across Treize's chest. Treize was still asleep and Zechs lifted his head to gaze at him lovingly. It was such a relief not to pretend anymore, not to hide the deep love and desire he had felt for this man for well over three years. He trailed his fingers across the firm, smooth skin of Treize's chest, tracing circles around the nipples, and then sliding his fingers down the indentation in the middle to his navel, and beyond to more interesting places. Treize stirred. Zechs caressed him and a soft sigh escaped Treize's lips.

"Didn't you get enough last night?" Treize murmured without opening his eyes.

"I don't think it's possible to get enough of you," Zechs answered. He leaned over and stroked his tongue gently across the nipple closest to him.

"Ahh…" Treize exclaimed softly.

Zechs licked him again and sat up, moving to straddle Treize's thighs. "You satisfied me at least five times last night, although I admit the last two were so close together they might have been counted as the same one." Treize smiled. "Anyway, I've decided it's your turn. So lie still and let me do all the work."

"Zechs…"

"Hush. Don't move. It's still early. No one's looking for us yet."

- - - -

Treize was breathing hard. He slid his hands up Zechs' arms to his shoulders, and then cupped Zechs' face in his hands. "If you were the one doing all the work, why am I exhausted?"

(End edit)

Zechs smiled and leaned down to give Treize a kiss. "Because you can't help wanting to be in charge."

Treize smiled too and he pulled Zechs' mouth back down to his. Zechs' hair spilled down to hide their faces behind a curtain of silver. After a long, tongue-filled kiss, Treize looked into Zechs' eyes. "I am going to have you transferred into my unit."

Zechs was caught by surprise. "How can you do that? I've already been assigned."

"I'm a senior member of the Romafeller Foundation," Treize replied with a smirk. "I can do whatever I want. And I want you."

"I want you to, Treize," Zechs said, "but won't it cause trouble even for you if they find out you're fucking one of your subordinates?"

"It would be better if no one found out, I'll admit. But I am not going to live without you anymore. If you're in my unit, we have a reason to spend time together. No one will question it." He gripped Zechs' arms. "I am well known for wanting the best people on my team. You're first in your class. No one will be surprised when I ask for you." He sighed. "We spent months resisting the need to become lovers. Then we went three years without seeing each other at all. We're lovers now and I refuse to give that up." He looked into Zechs' eyes. "You belong to me, Lightning Count, accept it."

Zechs stared at him for a long time, thinking it through. In all likelihood, they would be caught and he would be thrown out of the Alliance Military. But, until they were caught, they would have months together, sharing their passion. And that was worth any price. He kissed Treize gently. "I am at your service, Lord Kushranada."

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And that's the end of the reunion. Now if you want to read it unedited you have to go to The story is under the same name and my pen name there is Riyo Dragon

Read, enjoy, and review


	7. Commrads in Arms

Nothing much to say. You all know the warnings. Here's the new chappy.

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Chapter 7: Comrades in arms

Getting Zechs went as smoothly as Treize had predicted. In fact, several other unit commanders tried to get him assigned to their units as well, so Treize's request was not seen as unusual. The others complained, some good-naturedly, about Treize using his political connections to get his way, but no one filed a protest. Everyone knew Romafeller controlled the Alliance Military. So four days after graduation, Zechs reported to his new commanding officer, Treize Kushranada, at the Luxembourg Base.

Lady Une and three others were in Treize's small windowless office when Zechs appeared outside the open door, his duffle bag in one hand. He dropped the bag by his feet and saluted smartly, waiting for Treize to acknowledge him. Treize returned the salute casually and waved Zechs into the office at the same time.

"Welcome to Luxembourg, Lieutenant. You remember Lady Une, I trust?"

"Yes," Zechs inclined his head to Une. "A pleasure to see you again, Lady."

Une favored Zechs with a friendly nod, but Treize had the impression she was not particularly happy. He introduced the others, who, along with Lady Une, were his senior officers. Then he introduced Zechs.

"This is Zechs Merquise. He just graduated from the Victoria Base Academy, first in his class."

"Are you the one they call the Lightning Count?" asked one, Cole Vernon. Cole had very dark skin and tight curly hair, and an open countenance that betrayed a tendency to smile easily. At Zechs' nod, he held out his hand with a broad grin. "Then I owe you my thanks."

Zechs accepted his hand with a confused look on his face and everyone laughed.

Treize explained. "When you beat Dalken Curzon at the alumni games three years ago, it cost him a posting here at Luxembourg, which allowed Cole to request a transfer from guard duty at the Moon Base to fill the opening."

Cole pumped Zechs' hand one more time and released it. "I hate the Moon!"

Zechs smiled back. "Glad to be of service. I look forward to serving with you."

"All right, briefing's over, everybody out," Treize announced. "Except you, Lieutenant Merquise. I want to go over Base procedures with you." As the others left, Treize pointed at Zechs' duffle bag and indicated he should bring it in. Zechs did so, setting it just inside the door. Then, at Treize's rather pointed look, he closed the door and bolted it.

"We're in the middle of the Administration building," Zechs pointed out.

"Don't let it bother you," Treize replied. "I just finished my daily briefing and I'm not due for another appointment until the dinner briefing with the Base Commander. I'm on my own for the next two hours." He stepped close to Zechs and wrapped his arms around him. "It's ridiculous, but I feel like the last four days have been longer than the preceding three years."

(Begin edit)

Zechs slid his arms around Treize's shoulders and pressed his body against him. He touched his lips against the soft skin where Treize's jaw met his neck, just below the ear, and licked gently. A soft sigh of delight escaped Treize and Zechs licked him again, and then again, clearly aware of Treize's growing excitement. Treize began to fumble at the buckle of Zechs' belt, suddenly anxious to get his pants down. Zechs didn't resist him, his lips and tongue continuing to work their magic on Treize's neck and ear. Eagerly, Treize turned Zechs and bent him over the desk.

As quickly as it started, it ended, with both of them achieving a satisfying climax.

"Oh god, I needed that," Treize groaned.

"So did I," Zechs echoed.

They separated, straightening their uniforms and inspecting each other to make sure there were no telltale signs of their passion. Then Treize turned to survey his desk.

"You've made a mess," he remarked.

(End edit)

"And whose fault is that?" Zechs replied.

Treize grinned at him as he fished his handkerchief out of his pocket. "You better get yours out, too. One hankie is definitely not going to do it."

Zechs just smiled as he produced his own handkerchief.

- - - - - - - -

General Catalonia looked grim. "Ladies and Gentlemen," he began as soon as they were all seated. "It looks like we have an uprising on our hands."

Treize glanced quickly around the table to see if anyone looked surprised. Of course, he did not allow his own surprise to show on his face. There were a few startled looks, but most of the officers, like himself, had their poker faces on. Treize continued to serve himself from the platter in front of him as the general continued.

"You all know we've been getting reports of the occasional theft of Alliance equipment in the Balkans. Well, it seems that this is much more widespread than we were lead to believe. The Base Commander at Pancevo has been relieved of duty." This evoked murmurs of surprise from more than a few people. "They've been losing everything from spare parts to ammunition to entire Leos. Senior Command is now convinced that a coordinated uprising is being planned in the Balkans. Because of the trouble in Pancevo, units from several other bases, including Luxembourg, will be taken by carrier to Pancevo to put an end to these thefts and nip this uprising in the bud."

"How many units from Luxembourg will be posted?" Treize asked immediately.

"Four, initially," General Catalonia replied. "I plan to use the Specials units for this." He smiled grimly at Treize. "This is the sort of thing the Specials have been trained for."

Treize smiled back. This was indeed exactly what the Specials had been trained for. The Specials were units that reported directly to General Catalonia, no matter where they were based, and were comprised entirely of men and women who were personally loyal to the general. The general had created and trained these units so they stood outside the normal chain of command, and were therefore immune to corruption in the upper ranks. Of course, not everyone knew this. To everyone else, the Specials were just highly trained, anti-guerilla combat forces. To Treize and those who knew, the Specials were a fifth column, the Oz Organization, ready to step in when corruption within the Alliance and Romafeller threatened to upset the security of the Earth Sphere.

"Commander Kushranada, your unit will be the first to deploy. I want you ready to go first thing in the morning."

"Yes, General."

- - - - - - - -

Pancevo seemed hot and muggy after the cool Luxembourg weather. Zechs mopped his sweating face with his handkerchief and then smiled when he remembered the last thing he'd used it for.

"It's pretty hot here," Sheldon Davis, his patrol mate, remarked.

Zechs nodded. "It was worse at Victoria, though. Middle of summer, you could fry eggs on your own skin."

"Damn!" Sheldon grinned. "And I used to think it was bad in the cold up in Alaska!"

Zechs grinned back. They'd been in Pancevo a month. The first two and a half weeks had been spent hunting down the elusive bands of guerillas and wiping them out. General Catalonia had not been inclined to show mercy, unless the insurgents threw down their arms and gave up. Few had been willing to do that. But now the Alliance had suppressed most of the region and maintained order with regular patrols. They worked in two man teams, keeping a high profile to instill fear and keep the locals in line. Zechs had been patrolling with Sheldon for the past week and a half. Sheldon was a good man, if a little too inclined toward practical jokes.

They hiked down to the airfield where their carrier was parked. Treize preferred to keep their Leos stored in the carrier, rather than use the Pancevo Base hangers, just to make sure only their own mechanics could get at their mobile suits. Although an effort had been made to re-check everyone working at the Base, Treize chose to rely on a healthy paranoia. Zechs didn't have a problem with that. He liked to maintain a personal relationship with the mechanic who maintained his suit. It just made sense.

It was cool inside the carrier, but noisy. A patrol had just come in, and from the sound of it, there'd been trouble. He and Sheldon exchanged a look, and then broke into a run in the direction of the commotion.

Treize stood with arms crossed, listening closely as Cole recounted events from his patrol. A medic was patching a bloody wound in Cole's upper arm as he spoke.

"…claimed he didn't hear a thing, but the door was ripped clean off the hinges," Cole concluded as Zechs and Sheldon reached the group.

"The warehouse was cleaned out?" Treize asked angrily.

"Down to the mouse droppings," Cole said. "They practically waxed the floor."

"Dammit!" Treize exclaimed. "No one was supposed to know about that warehouse. The supplies were only going to be there three days!" He chewed his lip, his face dark with suppressed fury. "And you're pretty sure the ones you found didn't do it."

"I'm positive." Cole inspected the medic's work by flexing his arm and making a fist. "They fought like sons of bitches, but they didn't know anything about the warehouse. They just had the misfortune to be hiding close by." Cole looked at Treize knowingly and Treize nodded.

"We've got a leak." Treize saw Zechs and Sheldon at the edge of the group and beckoned them forward. "I'm changing your patrol. Do the Yellow 3 patrol today instead of Green 6. And watch yourselves. There's now an extremely well-armed group out there."

"Aye, sir," Zechs and Sheldon said in unison. They saluted and sprinted off toward their mobile suits.

------------------------------------

That's the end of the chapter  
And the end of the fun.  
Though there was almost none.

If the real thing you wish to see  
Go to Media miner . org  
(without the spaces)  
and look for this story again.

Now when you have finished  
can i persuade you to leave a review  
I'll be so happy if you do.


	8. Ambushed

Time for the weekly update, isn't that great?!

(Small amount of enthusiastic applause)

Well, the reviews need to be answered!

Visitor-to-the-Echoside: Don't worry 'bout it but hope you can fix your computer!

Ryua Malfoy: You liked my bit of impulse poetry? Cool! Glad you like and hope you did get to find the real thing!

DdaigCoch: (shrugges) I personally have no trouble visualizing the story but to each there own opinion. But me glad you liked it but I can't take the credit seeing as my kaa-san wrote it. So she would get credit. If yaw wanta see what my stories are like then go read one of my popular stories kudasai.  
  
Rune Essence: And they will again in this chappy! But it's not all good things!

New Warning: This chapter may cause high worry levels. Please take caution if you have stress related problems or can't stand to wait for a week. 

Note: Everyone remember it was not I who wrote this it was my Okaa-san. The only thing that I really did was give suggestions and help with minute details. The only things that are truly mine is the A/N at the beginning and end of the chapters.

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Chapter 8: Ambush

Treize and Zechs found few opportunities to be alone together since coming to Pancevo. Living on the carrier, surrounded by their comrades, mechanics and the carrier crew, there was little chance for privacy. But Treize was really too distracted anyway. The certain knowledge that there was a traitor somewhere in the Pancevo command had him constantly on edge. Zechs often found the safest way to appease his need to touch Treize was to massage his head and temples after dinner. If anyone caught them at it, it had a relatively innocuous explanation. And if they had five uninterrupted minutes, he could usually steal a kiss or two. But sex was pretty much out of the question, which left him tremendously frustrated even though he was tired most of the time from the constant patrols.

(Begin edit)

But after waking up for the second time on the same night in a state of complete arousal, Zechs gave up trying to sleep. He could explain the first midnight shower as attempting to escape the heat, but he doubted anyone would buy it a second time. He rolled out of his bunk in the converted living quarters on the carrier and padded quietly out into the passageway on his bare feet, his boots in one hand.

_This is ridiculous_, he thought. _How am I supposed to work like this?_

He strolled down into the hanger bay. It was dark and quiet, but as he walked along between the rows of mobile suits, he saw one with an open cockpit door emitting a faint flicker of light from the displays. It was Treize's suit. Without a second thought, Zechs dropped his boots in the shadows and scrambled up the side of the suit. There was no elevator cart nearby, so whoever was inside had gone up the same way. He peeked inside the open door and felt warm desire well up inside him when he saw Treize seated in the pilot's seat.

"Couldn't sleep either?" he asked as he stepped into view.

Treize started in surprise and then smiled broadly. "Zechs! What the hell are you doing here?"

"Wandering around wishing I could be in bed with you." He moved all the way into the cockpit, put his hands on Treize's shoulders, leaned over and kissed him deeply.

Treize's left hand slid around Zechs' torso and pulled him down into his lap, while his right hand flickered across the controls, closing the door and disabling the communications interfaces. Then he began undoing Zechs' trousers.

Zechs took his tongue out of Treize's mouth long enough to whisper, "We'll get caught," and then slipped his tongue hungrily between Treize's lips again.

"I don't care," Treize mumbled around Zechs' tongue as he worked his hand inside Zechs' underwear.

Zechs groaned. He stood up, without taking his mouth off Treize's, so Treize could pull his pants down. At the same time, he fumbled desperately for Treize's zipper and yanked it down. With a gasp, Zechs pulled his mouth away and turned around. Treize put an arm around Zechs' waist and pulled him down into his lap, and Zechs leaned back against him with a cry of joy. Gripping the edge of the console, he began pushing himself up and down. Treize put both arms around him, moving with him, his cries of pleasure an echo of Zechs' own.

(End edit)

"Oh god!" Zechs whispered. "How did I ever last so long without having you?"

Treize kissed his cheek. "The same way I did," he murmured breathlessly, "by thinking about other things."

"I love you, Treize."

"I love you, too." Treize kissed his cheek again. "Now help me clean up. I am NOT explaining this to my mechanic!"

Zechs smiled. "You know, if we did this in bed, we wouldn't always have to clean up after ourselves."

Treize shoved Zechs out of his lap. "Smart aleck," he muttered.

- - - - - - -

Because of the suspected traitor, Treize changed the patrol assignments every day in an attempt to keep anyone from guessing when a patrol team would move through a particular area. It seemed to be working at first, as they experienced a brief rise in their success rate at finding and capturing guerilla forces. But then, things started to go wrong again. They lost another shipment of supplies when a carrier was hijacked at a refueling stop on the Mediterranean coast. General Catalonia was reportedly spitting nails and Treize was short-tempered with pretty much everyone but Zechs. This became obvious when Sheldon and Zechs entered the main mobile suit bay of the carrier and found Treize dressing down two terrified looking mechanics.

Treize stopped as soon as he saw Zechs and dismissed the mechanics with an abrupt wave of his hand. They fled as if escaping the hangman. He waited for Zechs and Sheldon to reach him, obviously trying to rein in his temper.

"Is something wrong, Commander?" Zechs asked as soon as they reached him.

"No," Treize replied with a slight shake of his head. "I just need…" he stopped and shook his head again, and then smiled at Zechs. "I just need to catch a break. Take the Blue 4 patrol today, outside-in pattern."

"Yes, sir." Zechs saluted and headed off for his mobile suit. Beside him, Sheldon was frowning.

"The Commander's not happy," he grumbled. "When the Commander's not happy, something bad's always brewing."

Zechs nodded without replying. He knew what Sheldon meant.

Their patrol was uneventful. They marched across country, following a natural fold in the land that kept them out of sight most of the time. The quietness bothered Zechs. This was a populous region and although they passed people, working in fields or traveling along unpaved roads, it seemed like they didn't even notice the giant mobile suits moving past them.

They moved out into an open field. Dark forest rose up on the far side of the field, rumpling as it rose up into low hills. They had cleared that forest of rebels their first week in the Balkans. Zechs trained his long range viewer on the forest and scanned the edge. Nothing. Then the view screen went black as something rose up in his line of sight less than one hundred meters away. He had his rifle up and firing even before he dropped to normal view. All around them, rebel mobile suits were rising up out of holes in the ground. It was an ambush!

"Alpha 3-5! Alpha 3-5! We're under attack!" Sheldon screamed into his radio. "This is Bravo 6-6! We're under attack!"

Zechs backed up toward Sheldon, firing as he went. He risked a glance and saw Sheldon moving toward him. Maybe they had a chance if they stood together. The rebels only had machine guns, but they were taking their toll. Zechs and Sheldon blazed away at them with their laser rifles, but Zechs knew there were more rebels than they had power in their rifles.

"You bastards!" Sheldon screamed. "I'll kill you all, you sons of bitches! You ain't takin' me down, goddamn you!" He was firing wildly.

"Sheldon!" Zechs screamed at him. "Pick your targets! Don't waste your shots!" Zechs had brought three rebels down, but more were coming. "Hold on, Sheldon! Treize will get here! We just have to hold on!"

Sheldon's scream was deafening. Zechs knew the meaning of that horrible, tearing sound. It was a death cry. He'd heard it before, in his youth during the fall of the Sanc Kingdom. A shattering explosion knocked him through the air. Zechs felt a moment of deep regret that he was dying without saying goodbye to Treize, and then his suit slammed into the ground, knocking him unconscious.

- - - - - - -

The two mobile suits looked like smoking wreckage at first glance. Treize's heart stopped and he stared in horror at Zechs' crushed Leo. As they got closer, he could see that the suit was more or less intact, but it lay smashed into the ground, with smoke curling up from more places than he could count.

"Get after them!" he screamed into the radio, pointing after the retreating guerillas. A part of his mind counted ten of them as the rogue mobile suits raced toward the shelter of nearby hills. Twelve of his unit sprinted after the guerillas while the others took up a defensive perimeter. But Treize had already forgotten them. He drove his suit close to Zechs' and leaped down while the door was still dropping open. He scrambled up to the fallen Leo's cockpit door and kicked the emergency release. The door started to open, caught, moved a little farther and then seized up.

"No!" Treize cried. He scrambled around to the narrow opening and gripped it with both hands. Squatting down, he pulled with strength amplified by the adrenaline pumping through his veins. With a shriek of metallic protest, the door shifted slightly.

"Aughh!"

Treize screamed in inarticulate rage and fear and jerked on the resisting panel with superhuman strength. There was a tremendous crack and the door ripped free, crashing over and sliding to the ground. He immediately lowered himself into the cockpit, balancing carefully on the back wall and the control panel.

The left side of the cockpit was caved in and Zechs looked as if that entire side of his body was broken. The hair on the left side of his head was matted with blood. His uniform was soaked with it. Treize stopped breathing.

"Oh god, no!" he whispered. "Please, no!" Carefully, he reached down to touch his fingers against Zechs' throat. At his touch, Zechs' eyelids fluttered and opened. Tears of joy and fear streamed unnoticed down Treize's cheeks. "It's all right, Zechs, I'm here," he whispered.

Zechs' lips moved. Treize twisted down so he could put his ear close enough to hear what Zechs was trying to say. Zechs' lips brushed against Treize's ear as he spoke, his breath warm against Treize's skin.

"I'm sorry… I couldn't… save him…"

Treize closed his eyes. Fury was fast consuming the fear within him. He lifted his head and shouted, "Where's the goddamn medic?"

"He's here," Une answered. She was leaning over the open cockpit, watching him. Another face appeared beside her.

"I need to get in there, sir," the medic, Dal Yazumi, said.

Reluctantly, Treize climbed out and let Dal take his place. "I want him out of there as soon as possible," he ordered as he moved aside.

"I have to stabilize him first, sir." But Dal was already ignoring him, focused on his patient.

Treize looked around the horizon anxiously. "Where's the fucking medevac?"

"It's on the way, Treize." Une put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently. "Sheldon's dead."

Treize closed his eyes again, murmuring a brief prayer for the soul of his fallen comrade. Then his eyes snapped open as a thought suddenly struck him. "They were ambushed," he announced grimly.

"How is that possible?" asked Une. "You changed the patrol this morning. There is no way the enemy could have planned an ambush of this size that quickly. Zechs and Sheldon must have stumbled on them by accident."

"No," Treize shook his head, staring at Sheldon's dismembered Leo to avoid looking at Zechs. "If the guerillas had been surprised, they would have run, rather than wait to find out if these two were alone. They knew Zechs and Sheldon didn't have backup nearby. They knew exactly where to wait for them so they could take them by surprise." Treize looked toward where the guerillas had retreated. "Someone betrayed us." The hard look in his eyes and the steel in his voice made it clear that when he found out who it was, blood would be spilled.

They both turned at the sound of engines. The medevac flew as close to them as possible before settling to the ground in a vertical landing. Below them in the crushed cockpit, Dal was issuing terse orders into the radio mounted on his shoulder. As a team emerged from the medevac and raced toward them with a stretcher, Treize finally looked back down at Zechs. Dal had extricated Zechs' limbs from the wreckage and applied tourniquets and bandages. Treize knew there was nothing else he could do here, and that he needed to be doing other things, but it was hard to tear himself away. The thought of losing Zechs made him feel empty inside. The need to hold him and comfort him was a physical pain that ached through his whole body. With an effort, he dragged himself away and jumped to the ground.

"I want Sheldon's body cut out of there and returned to the Base for burial," he ordered Une. "And get some personnel out here to transport what's left of these mobile suits back to Luxembourg as well. We can scrap them for parts. I don't want so much as a bolt left for the guerillas to use."

Une nodded and moved off, barking orders into her communicator. Treize watched the medics load Zechs carefully onto the stretcher and hurry back to the medevac. He climbed into his Leo as it lifted off and thumbed on his radio. A chatter of voices immediately spilled out.

"I've got your back, Yuki! Take him!"

"Take left! I'll go right!"

"He's down! He's down!"

He listened as his team finished the battle and began mopping up. Then he flipped on his mike. "Alpha 3-5, return to base." The chorus of 'Aye's told him he had been heard. Leaving Une to handle the cleanup, he headed back to the carrier. He needed a secure channel for his next communication.

------------------------

And CUT!

Alright people that's a rap for now.

Actors come back next week so we can do the next chapter.

Don't do anything to weird or illegal in the interim!

That goes double for you two!

(Zechs and Treize blink innocently)

Zechs: Who us?

Yes you.

Treize: Don't worry we'll be good.

I am disinclined to believe that but o well. See ya people.

(Zechs and Treize leave muttering things including many types of syrups, sweets, and something about a dragon.)

For some reason I believe them even less now. (sweatdrops and turns to camera) Please review and see everyone in a week or so.

-Somewhere-

Wu-Fei: I have a bad feeling.


	9. Recovery

Wait period over! Now everyone gets more!

(Slightly more applauds then last time)

Were doing better. So in answer to the reviews…

Dark Vanilla: Well glad you like it and that it a new experience. But I'm sure that I've seen stories similar to this one.

Ryua Malfoy: (wails) You didn't get my joke! (cries) (sniff) If it helps you here's a hint Dragon is Wu-Fei's nick name in the Fan world.

Visitor-to-the-Echoside: Mom's happy to know that she did the battle scenes so well. She says thanks.

Rune Essence: Then you shall love the last few chapters of this. (nods)

Well that's it. (turns to cast) Alright, places people. And Action!

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Chapter 9: Recovery

Zechs was floating in darkness. _Am I dead?_, he wondered. He remembered the ambush, the rogue mobile suits springing up from nowhere all around them, and Sheldon screaming for backup. The battle was painfully clear in his mind. He might have escaped if he'd been alone, but he knew Sheldon couldn't keep up with him if he ran, and Zechs refused to abandon a comrade, even to save his own life. They had managed to get back to back, but they were too outnumbered; the outcome was inevitable. He remembered Sheldon going down, the terrible scream of agony as his Leo blew apart. Zechs suspected it was the explosion from Sheldon's suit that had knocked him flying and driven him into the ground, but he wasn't sure. He remembered little after that.

Except that he thought he remembered hearing Treize's voice and trying to apologize for his failure. The thought of Treize filled him with regret. He had let Treize down. And now he was dead and he would never see Treize again.

But this cottony limbo was not what he had expected after death. Nor was the dull ache that was starting to radiate from somewhere on his left side, trying to blossom into full-fledged pain. Then the left side of his head started to throb. He moaned.

"Are you in pain, Lieutenant?"

He was definitely not dead. He tried to answer, but his throat did not appear to work right. He managed a croaking sound. Now he could hear the soft hum and click of machinery around him, and the sound of rubber soles scuffing across a vinyl floor.

"This should help," said the same friendly female voice.

An instant later, soothing relief washed through his body and the pain receded. He decided to try opening his eyes. Dim light greeted blurred vision and he blinked several times, trying to bring the world into focus. The nurse appeared in his field of view and he shifted his focus to her handsome brown face.

"Would you like some water, Lieutenant?"

"Yes," he croaked, surprised that he'd gotten out a recognizable word.

She reached for something out of his view and produced a cup with an angled straw, which she held against his lips. He sipped the water, savoring its coolness as it moistened the inside of his mouth and washed the gritty feel from his throat.

"Thank you." His voice sounded almost normal.

"I'll go tell Colonel Kushranada that you're awake. He's been very worried." The nurse patted his shoulder and smiled before disappearing.

Zechs closed his eyes and smiled, too. Treize was worried about him! He let the painkiller soothe him back to sleep.

"They told me you were awake."

The sound of Treize's voice pulled Zechs instantly out of his doze. His eyes flew open and he stared up at Treize's face, filled with joy at the sight. But then he remembered what had happened and dismay struck him.

"I'm sorry, Treize. I shouldn't have been taken by surprise. I cost Sheldon his life."

"No, you didn't," Treize answered gently. "You never had a chance. You probably kept Sheldon alive longer than anyone else could have." He touched Zechs' right cheek with his fingertips. "Don't blame yourself."

Then he leaned over Zechs until his face was so close that all Zechs could see were his dark, beautiful, worried eyes. "Don't ever do this to me again, Zechs," he whispered. "You're the only thing in this world that truly matters to me."

He touched his lips to Zechs' in the gentlest, most loving kiss Zechs had ever experienced. He closed his eyes and fell in love with Treize all over again.

"Is Lieutenant Merquise awake, Lord Treize?"

Treize straightened up quickly, his eyes catching Zechs' for a moment before turning to answer Lady Une standing in the doorway.

"Yes, Lady Une, but he is still quite weak."

He stepped aside so Une had a clear view of Zechs, and he of her. There was an odd look on her face and Zechs wondered if she realized they had been kissing. Knowing how she felt about Treize, he doubted she would take such knowledge well.

"It is good to see you recovering, Count Zechs," was all she said, however. Her eyes shifted back to Treize. "General Catalonia has called an emergency staff meeting."

Treize nodded. "Thank you, Une. I'll be right there."

Une saluted and left, pulling the door shut behind her. Treize looked back down at Zechs.

"Get well quickly, Zechs. I'm going to need you."

"I'm always at your service, Lord Kushranada."

- - - - - - -

It was a relief to be out of the hospital. Zechs looked around his small room in the barracks. Someone had cleaned it for him, because there wasn't a trace of dust anywhere. It was just like Treize to remember the small details. Zechs was tired and it annoyed him. The walk from the car to his room wasn't that long, but it had left him winded. His injury and the long recovery had left him horribly out of shape. He would have to work hard to get back into fighting trim. He pulled the chair out from his small desk and sat, but stood again immediately when someone knocked on his door. He opened it to find Treize leaning against the frame with one hand, the other resting on his hip.

"How do you feel?" he asked promptly.

"I'm fine, Treize. Come in." Zechs stepped aside so Treize could enter. He glanced into the hall to make sure it was empty before closing the door behind him. "I'm ready if you need me," he added.

"No you're not," Treize replied good-naturedly. "You've been bedridden for a month. I'll give you a few weeks to get back in shape."

Zechs frowned and flopped down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. "I hate this," he growled. "There's a war going on and I should be out there with you."

"You will be." Treize seated himself in the chair. "Anyway, it's a lull right now. The rebels are regrouping after we kicked their butts in Miloscz. We think they're running low on supplies, so we've beefed up the security around all the storage facilities in the region. You have some time."

"That's a relief." Zechs rolled his head to the side and looked at Treize throw the curtain of his bangs. His hair had grown in the hospital, it seemed. "Have you replaced Sheldon yet?"

"Not yet. Since I can't get my first choice, I'm taking my time."

"Who's your first choice?"

"Lucretzia Noin. Do you know her? She was in your class. She spent her junior year in cadet training with me in the Colonies. She's an instructor at the Victoria Base Academy now and I haven't been able to convince her to leave."

Zechs smiled. "Of course I know Noin. She was second in my class. I barely beat her at the alumni games last year. We're good friends." He sat up on one elbow. "She used to talk about you all the time. I was terribly jealous."

Treize looked surprised. "Why would you be jealous? You knew you were the only one I loved."

"Yes, but she got to spend time with you. I was jealous of anyone who got to spend time with you." Zechs sat up. "Can you stay for a while?"

"You just got out of the hospital, Zechs. I think we should wait a little longer before we…"

Zechs interrupted him with a low growl. "I won't break, Treize, but if you don't make love to me right now, I WILL go insane."

(Begin edit)

Treize blinked once and then moved to the bed. He put his arm around Zechs' waist and kissed him. Zechs put his arms around Treize's shoulders, sliding his fingers up into the soft brown curls of Treize's hair, and pulled Treize's mouth hard against his, kissing hungrily. Treize had come to see him every day in the hospital, which had been wonderful and maddening at the same time. Arousal washed through him, making him ache with desire. Treize began to undress him and Zechs leaned back, letting himself be stripped. When he was naked, he caught Treize's shoulders and pulled Treize down on top of him, wrapping his legs around Treize's hips.

"Are you sure I'm not hurting you?" Treize demanded breathlessly, his mouth sucking eagerly at Zechs' neck.

"Not fucking me is hurting me," Zechs gasped back. He yanked open Treize's pants and pushed them down over his hips. "Please!" he moaned. "I need you!"

Treize took him. Zechs arched up against him, crying out in ecstasy and pain. His long illness had allowed his body to forget how to accept Treize's love. He dropped his head back and made himself relax. Then Treize drove all the way into him and his mouth fell open in a silent scream of sheer pleasure. Orgasm wracked him and he buried his face against Treize's shoulder so his cries could not be heard outside the room.

Treize's gasps in his ear turned to a deep grown of joy.

(End edit)

"Zechs Merquise, you are the only man I know who can make me act against my better judgment." He lifted up onto one elbow, propping himself up with the opposite hand.

Zechs smiled, stroking his fingers down the middle of Treize's back. "You said I needed to get back in shape. I think regular sexual activity will improve my stamina and flexibility tremendously." He let his legs straighten out. "And I truly did need you." He met Treize's eyes. "Do you know what I was most afraid of, when I thought I was going to die with Sheldon?" Treize shook his head. "I was afraid I would never see you again."

Treize gazed at him in silence for a moment, before leaning down to kiss him gently. "I was afraid of the same thing," he said softly. He kissed Zechs again and then pushed up onto his hands. Looking down at the front of his uniform, he shook his head in dismay. "How am I going to explain this? I'm a mess." He smiled as he spoke.

Zechs nodded toward the little sink embedded in the side wall. "Rinse it off and tell anyone who asks that I was sick. I just got out of hospital. They'll believe it."

Treize nodded. "It'll have to do." He moved to the sink to clean up. "I want you to start attending the daily briefings, even though I won't have you resume your regular duties for a few weeks. I want you up to speed."

"Yes, sir," Zechs replied. He began putting on his clothes. "I won't let you down again."

"You didn't let me down, Zechs." Treize turned off the water and came over to place a comforting hand on his shoulder. "If you had died, that would have been letting me down." He leaned close and favored Zechs with a long and gentle kiss. "Today's briefing is in one hour. Don't be late."

Zechs stared after him long after he was gone.

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And Cut! That's a wrap people. Be back next week.

Actors: Right. Ja.

Alright. (turns to camera) Review peoples. Now (holds up Gaara doll) I'm off to help a friend with an obsession. BYE! (Disappears in a puff of smoke)


	10. Trouble Brewing

Hello folks, sorry we're a little late but my weekend was packed.

Ryu: Yeah and she's posting this when she should be doing her History project

So hope everyone likes.

Ryua Malfoy: I knew you liked the story. But I really recommend that you watch the anime.

Rune Essence: (hands back head) Isn't he though?

Chapter: 9/14

Alright people here's your chappy.

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Chapter 10: Trouble brewing

The rebels had been quiet for three months, but Treize didn't find any comfort in that. Quiet just meant he did not know what they were up to. Of course, on the plus side, the relative calm had allowed his unit to return Luxembourg after Zechs got out of the hospital, and that meant he and Zechs could spend more time together. In fact, Zechs spent more time in Treize's room than his own. At the moment, he was draped across Treize's bare chest, his left cheek resting in the hollow of Treize's right shoulder, his right hand tucked under Treize's left arm. His hair flowed like a satin sheet across Treize's stomach.

Treize loved these quiet, post-coital moments almost as much as the sexual frenzy that preceded them. Making love with Zechs was exhausting, but it was always incredibly satisfying. Incongruously, he sometimes found it easier to think about work at times like this, even with Zechs' naked body sprawled across his.

"You think there's going to be trouble." Zechs' quiet statement made Treize smile. At times, he suspected the young Count of hearing his thoughts.

"Yes, I do. You know I've been keeping track of thefts?" Zechs nodded, his hair tickling Treize's chin. "Well, I haven't just been tracking thefts of military equipment, or large-scale thefts. I've been monitoring everything, on and off Earth. People have been stealing everything from spare parts to ammo, motors, conduit, copper wire, even welding equipment."

Zechs lifted his head and frowned at Treize. "That sounds like someone's planning to build something."

"Um hmm," Treize nodded. "Like maybe a manufacturing plant so they can build a lot of somethings."

"Like mobile suits."

"Exactly."

"Did you tell General Catalonia?"

"I discussed my concerns with him. He wants more definitive proof. I think the proof will appear when a whole bunch of mobile suits attack us out of nowhere."

(Begin edit)

Zechs sat up, straddled Treize and began rolling his hips back and forth.

"Do you have any idea where the attack might happen?" he asked calmly, as if he were not slowly driving Treize insane.

"I think…" Treize began and then paused, because suddenly he was not thinking at all. With an effort, he tried to focus his attention away from the arousal that was trying to engulf him. "I still think Pancevo is the target," he finally managed to get out.

"But that's where the general is," Zechs replied, apparently not distracted in the least by what he was doing, nor by his own rather obvious arousal. "There are a lot of forces there now, including the Specials."

"Which is precisely why a victory there would be a big one for the rebels." Treize closed his eyes. His train of thought was getting seriously derailed. "But that's also why I'm not sure. It's entirely possible this is just a prelude to a Colony uprising. Ahhhh!"

Treize gave up. Once Zechs was in the mood, Treize had little choice but to accommodate him, in no small part because, once Zechs started touching him, the need to couple forced every other thought from Treize's mind. He pulled Zechs down against him and Zechs nuzzled his neck, moaning softly.

(End edit)

Treize had had other lovers before Zechs, but no one had ever felt as good as Zechs did. Loving Zechs as deeply as he did, having intercourse with him made Treize feel complete in a way that nothing else did. Only fencing came close. In fact, Zechs was the only person Treize would rather bed than duel. But tonight, with all thoughts of rebels and combat driven from his mind by the exquisite pleasure of fucking Zechs, Treize let himself exist only for love. As pent up need and overwhelming pleasure exploded into orgasm, he pressed his lips against Zechs' ear and whispered, "I love you, my Lightning Count."

- - - - - - -

Treize had a headache. He rubbed his temples with his fingertips, knowing full well that what he really needed was an aspirin. He spoke quietly, to keep his head from throbbing any harder.

"Une, I'm not splitting the unit and I'm not sending anyone into space."

Une's tightly braided hair pulled all the softness out of her face. The glasses she favored when she was in these dark moods partially shielded her eyes. Her lips pressed together in a thin line, showing her disapproval of his statement.

"But you've said yourself that Zechs Merquise is the most skilled mobile suit pilot in the Specials. They could use him in the Colonies. They're fighting up there right now."

Treize was not completely sure he wasn't arguing with her because he didn't want to be separated from Zechs. But something in his gut told him now was a bad time to send Zechs off Earth. And even though Une's arguments had merit, he was also not sure that she wasn't recommending it simply to separate them. He had first noticed the change in her personality after she caught him kissing Zechs in the hospital. The change had become quite pronounced, leading to the hard, fierce woman facing him now, five days ago, when she had come to his room very early that morning with orders from General Catalonia and found Zechs there.

Thank god they hadn't still been in bed. In fact, Zechs had been completely dressed, except for his shoes and unbrushed hair. Treize, however, had still been in his underwear, shaving. They might have managed a semi-plausible explanation, but Une had not asked for one. She had simply stared from one to the other for a moment with a shocked look on her face, then handed Treize his orders and retreated hastily down the hall.

Since then, she had been brusque with him and Zechs. But she was still an exemplary officer and pilot, and Treize still considered her a friend. He just didn't know how to explain to her, or if he should even try to explain to her, that he was in love with Zechs, but that he would never let that influence his decisions. Zechs was his best pilot and a superior tactician. Treize relied on that, just as he relied on Une for her skills. And if he needed to send Zechs to fight in the Colonies, he would do that, when the time came. But now was not that time. He folded his hands on the desk in front of him and met Une's harsh gaze.

"The fighting in the Colonies is just the usual squabbling. I've been keeping an eye on it. If it gets worse, we will have warning enough to get reinforcements out there. In the meantime, I am still concerned about events here on Earth. I am keeping our unit on standby so we can respond quickly the moment there is trouble."

"Very well." Her response was as stiffly unbending as her posture.

As the door swung closed behind her, Treize dropped his pounding head into his hands. He almost hoped rebellion would break out somewhere just to give his soldiers something to do. He dug the heels of his hands into his eyes, rubbing them until he saw stars.

"Do you want me to get something for your head?"

Treize looked up with a smile at the sound of Zechs' voice. "No, seeing you is comfort enough."

Zechs smiled and came around the desk to stand behind Treize's chair. He began to rub his thumbs firmly along the ridgelines of Treize's head while squeezing his forehead. Treize closed his eyes with a deep sigh and let the soothing pressure ease the pain away.

"I saw Une leaving," Zechs said as he massaged.

"She thinks I should send you to stamp out troublemakers in the Colonies."

"There are already Specials out there."

"Yes, but she thinks you should be one of them."

"Just me?" Zechs shifted the position of his hands to rub Treize's temples and massage the base of his skull.

"She's been… odd since she saw us together the other morning."

"She suspects us?"

"I think so." Treize sighed. "I'm afraid we've allowed ourselves to become indiscreet. I shouldn't let you spend so much time in my room."

"Do you think she'll tell anyone?"

"No. Une is personally loyal to me. She would never betray my confidence, even if she thought I was doing something wrong."

"And she probably realizes revealing our affair would only hurt you."

"How so?"

"Because an affair between soldiers is always the senior officer's fault." Zechs leaned down and kissed Treize on the forehead. "You are risking your rank and career. The worst they could do to me is reprimand me for not reporting you and then ship me off to the Moon to separate us." He resumed the massage. "Besides, we've always known that sooner or later we would have to stop."

Treize opened his eyes and reached up to catch Zech's hands. He turned in the chair and pulled Zechs around in front of him. "It doesn't bother you to think of our relationship ending?"

"Our relationship will never end, Treize," Zechs answered. His blue eyes looked deeper than the ocean. "You will always be a part of my life. Serving under you is as important to me as sharing your bed. Being with you has made me happy and I never thought I would feel that emotion again. And I will always love you."

Tossing discretion to the wind, Treize pulled Zechs down into his lap and kissed him deeply. Zechs put his arms around Treize's neck and kissed him back warmly. Then he looked into Treize's eyes with a smile.

"Headache gone?"

"Yes. You're always good for what ails me." Treize kissed him again and then Zechs pushed out of his lap. Treize stood up. "Something's going to break soon, Zechs. I can feel it in my gut."

Zechs grinned at him. "Then wouldn't it be better to have me conveniently close by when it happens? Say, sleeping next to you?"

Treize shook his head with a smile. "It's hard to argue with that logic." He waved his hand toward the door. "Let's go have dinner. I have a feeling I'm going to need the energy later."

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Cut. I know it's late so everyone scram. Actors have a good week. Readers please review. Happy Halloween and Goodnight. (Throws everyone candy then collapses) To much work. (swirly eyes)

Ryu: Please review we need her alive for the next part.


	11. Assault on Pancevo

(Stumbles in) ARG! (Collapses into chair)

Ryu: Now you don't look so hot.

(Glares) no shit; I've been sick fer a month.

Ryu: Then I think I'll do the Q&A.

Ryua Malfoy: That's good ta know. And if you do catch the last few episodes that will help ya.

Bandit-Gurl42: LOL. Raja says welcome to the band wagon. Hope ya like all of the story.

Rune Essence: Yeah well what can ya say…

MyMindIsMyEchoSide: You changed yer name. Neat. Raja says that's all right and that she's been hung up on a lot of things too.

Also to Flame: Here's another chapter. Review it this time! You know who you are.

Chapter 11/14

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Chapter 11: Assault on Pancevo

Zechs was enjoying himself. The new Aries flying mobile suit was keeping up with him nicely. He flipped into a tight roll and dove toward the ground, snapping out level at one hundred meters with guns blazing. He obliterated the wooden target on the ground and pulled up sharply, spinning around to shoot behind him at the same target as he climbed.

"Having fun?" Treize asked dryly. Beneath his amused voice, Zechs could hear a babble of other voices on the radio.

"Yes, I am," he replied. "The engineers have done a good job with this model."

"Glad to hear that. We'll be getting four of the first production models, assuming they're still speaking to me after you've flown their prototype into the ground."

"Please!" Zechs exclaimed with wounded pride. "It won't even have a scratch."

He heeled over and plunged earthward at full speed. A wingspan from the ground, he pulled out and flew sideways for two hundred meters, firing his laser at a row of simulated mobile suits. He scored hits on all ten and shot back up into the sky as the babble from the radio increased in volume.

"I'm coming in."

By the time he made his landing and swung down to the tarmac, Treize, Une, Cole and several engineers were on their way across the tarmac to meet him. Most of the engineers just hurried past him, anxious to see what he had done to their prototype, but the chief engineer, an older woman with gray hair tied in a bun on the back of her head, stopped to face him, reaching him ahead of Treize by several long strides.

"How did it handle?" she asked, her voice and expression alternating between anger, concern and excitement.

"It's very responsive," Zechs answered, "even at high speed. The targeting seemed a little off, though, but I could compensate for it."

"We'll look at that. Thank you, Lieutenant." She hurried to join the other engineers swarming over the Aries prototype.

"The targeting is off?" Treize asked with a lifted eyebrow.

"Just a little," Zechs grinned. "I could hardly tell them it's perfect. They'd be insufferable."

Treize and Cole laughed and Une cracked a small smile.

"They said we'd get our Aries units next week," Treize said, still smiling. "The four of us will train in them initially. We'll provide cover during parachute landings of the Leo units and then provide air combat support."

They turned to gaze approvingly at the Aries mobile suit.

"This will improve our combat effectiveness significantly," Cole remarked, a wide grin on his dark face. "Those rebels got another thing coming next time they kick up a fuss."

Zechs nodded agreement. Mobile suit technology was going to turn the tide in future wars.

- - - - - - -

Treize was frustrated. After three hours in video conference with General Catalonia and his aides, he had not been able to convince the general that trouble was brewing again in the Balkans, especially around Pancevo. Information for the region from the Alliance's European Intelligence Office indicated nothing unusual, and continuing unrest in the Colonies had drawn the general's eye away from Earth. In the end, all Treize could manage was to keep the general from posting his unit to the Moon Base immediately.

It was not very late, but he'd missed training with Zechs and the others in the new Aries mobile suits and he'd missed dinner. The churning knot in his stomach made the latter of little concern, but he hated missing training. Une had offered to skip training and attend the briefing with him, but he'd said no. Her presence would have made no difference and at least one of them should get to do something fun.

He brooded darkly as he returned from the conference room to his quarters. There was a light showing under the door when he reached his room and for a moment he couldn't decide if he was relieved or annoyed that someone was there. He hoped it was Zechs.

He opened the door to find Zechs lounging on his bed reading a book.

Zechs looked up with a smile. "That was a long meeting."

"And unsatisfying," Treize growled back. He dropped his notes on the desk and pulled off his jacket, hanging it over the chair. "Someone in Regional Intelligence has his head up his ass and the general is listening to him. I'm not sure how much longer I can keep him from shipping us off Earth."

"That would be bad timing." Zechs frowned, concern showing in his face.

"Extremely bad timing," Treize corrected. He sank down on the bed with a sigh. "I really expected something to have happened by now." He shook his head. "Maybe I'm wrong."

"You're not wrong, Treize," Zechs assured him. He wrapped his arms around Treize and put his chin on one shoulder. "Do you want to eat? I'm sure we could still get something at the mess hall."

Treize shook his head. "I'm not hungry." He clasped Zechs' wrists. "I wish I'd been at training with you today. It seems like I get to spend less and less time in the cockpit."

"Responsibility does that."

"Well, I hate it."

Zechs kissed his ear. "There's something else you've had less time for lately."

Treize smiled. "I'm not busy right now."

"I was hoping you'd say that." Zechs nibbled his neck and licked his ear. "Why don't you just lie back? I'll bolt the door and soothe all your frustrations away."

"That is the best suggestion I've heard in months."

Treize decided that getting slowly and methodically stripped naked, while being kissed, caressed and licked everywhere, was the best way to unwind at the end of a long day. Zechs took his time, showing loving, intimate attention to each part of Treize's body as he exposed it. Along the way, Treize re-discovered a passion for having his toes licked. He was also reminded that the tender skin on the inside of his elbows and the back of his knees was extremely susceptible to soft, wet kisses. He was completely aware of every inch of his body and it was all deeply aroused.

"You're a magician, Zechs," he whispered.

(Begin edit)

"Wait until you see my next trick," Zechs murmured. He straddled Treize and began to ride up and down on him.

Highly sensitized to the slightest touch, Treize was immediately caught up in a wave of mind-shattering ecstasy. "Oh, lord," Treize groaned. "I think I just died."

(End edit)

"Don't worry," Zechs answered breathlessly. "Give me a few minutes and I'll bring you back to life."

"Oh, god! You are trying to kill me."

Zechs just smiled and leaned down to give him a long, deep kiss.

- - - - - - -

The base alarm jerked them both awake a few minutes after midnight. Treize leaped out of bed and keyed on the communicator without any thought for the fact that he was naked and Zechs was behind him hastily pulling on his clothes.

"What is it?" he demanded of the night duty sergeant who appeared on his monitor.

"Pancevo Base is under attack, Sir!" the sergeant replied excitedly. "It's a large force of mobile suits! And they're taking mortar fire, too! General Catalonia is calling for reinforcements!"

"Call my unit and mobilize them to the carrier hanger," Treize ordered. "I want my mobile suits loaded into the carrier now, including the Aries units."

"Yes Sir!" The sergeant keyed off and a moment later his voice boomed out of the base speakers, overwhelming the klaxon still sounding in the background. "Alpha 3-5! Crew to quarters on the carrier deck! Loading of Leo and Aries mobile suits to commence immediately!"

"I said you were right," Zechs remarked in a surprisingly calm voice as he stamped into his boots.

"Yes, now if I'd only been more prepared," Treize replied angrily. "It's going to take half an hour to load all the mobile suits onto the carrier." He began pulling on his own clothes. "It will be two hours before we can get to Pancevo."

"Can't be helped." Zechs stood up. "I'll meet you at the hanger." He sprinted out the door.

The carrier hanger was a beehive of activity. Mobile suits were being loaded into four carriers and pilots were racing in from all directions to check in with their commanders. Cole was already there issuing orders to Treize's unit as they came in. Zechs had just reached him when Treize entered the hanger. Treize ran to join them.

"Have they loaded the Aries suits yet?" he asked as he reached them.

"No," Cole answered. "I told them to put those on last, so they can jump first. I sent Une to make sure the Leo's are being packed with parachutes. I've been telling the pilots to get on board and stay out of the way."

"Very good. Zechs, go oversee the loading of the Aries'. Cole, come with me. We need to find out what's happening in Pancevo."

"Right."

Pancevo was in trouble. Mortar file was pounding the base from the hills south of the river. Two lines of mobile suits were attacking, one from the northwest and one from the east, forcing General Catalonia to fight on two fronts while taking fire from the rear. They were holding their own, but just barely. They needed help badly.

Once their carrier was in the air, Treize, Une, Cole and Zechs brought up a map of the area, projected on a large screen at the front of the cabin, and planned their counterattack.

"We'll drop in behind the enemy forces to the north," Treize decided. "Once our unit is down and engaging the enemy, the second carrier can drop reinforcements behind us. That should be enough to give the general some breathing room. Once he puts more forces on his eastern front, the other two carriers can drop their Leos behind the enemy's eastern flank."

"Sounds good," Cole said, "But what about the mortar fire to the south?"

"We'll have the bombers go in just ahead of us and take them out." Treize turned an intent gaze on each of them. "We can't let them take Pancevo Base. The loss of such a strategic asset will inspire more rebellion against the Alliance. Our victory must be decisive."

"Yes Sir!" They spoke in unison.

Treize nodded in satisfaction. He had some of the best pilots in the Earth Sphere in his unit. He trusted them to get the job done, but he knew it would not be easy. They were not going to get through this unscathed.

- - - - - - -

Zechs went through his pre-flight while he listened to the noise of the battle below. The Pancevo forces had been pushed back inside the Base perimeter. They were fighting hard, but they had taken heavy losses. Knowing reinforcements were coming, they had fought to hold the Base only, conceding the perimeter territories almost immediately. The tactic had bought them time when time was what they needed. They had held until the arrival of the Luxembourg forces. It would have been nice if they'd had more Aries mobile suits and pilots trained in them, but they were out of luck. The other Alliance forces that had received the earliest production models were too far away to bring help to Pancevo in time. So it would be just the four of them, along with their Leos.

"Bomber Group 21 approaching target." The voice crackled from the radio over the babble from below.

"Report bombs away, 21." Treize replied.

"Bomber Group 21, aye."

"Alpha 3-5, prepare to jump." Treize sounded grim through the static of the radio. "Zechs, you go first."

"Aye," Zechs responded and he brought all his systems on-line.

"Bombs away!"

The back of the carrier dropped open and Zechs immediately leaped out. He did a quick roll and spin to scan the area around him and the ground below. "All clear," he reported.

Treize, Une and Cole jumped out one by one, flying away from each other and Zechs to form a perimeter for the Leos. Almost immediately, the Leos began jumping, their chutes popping open as soon as they were clear of the hatch. Zechs and Cole descended with the falling Leos, while Treize and Une stayed high. Some of the enemy mobile suits below began firing up toward the Leos as they dropped. The Leos returned fire.

A fierce grin spread across Zechs' face and he plunged toward the ground at full speed, dodging the fire effortlessly. He banked into a hard turn as he neared the rear of the enemy line, now starting to turn to face the new threat, and opened fire with his laser. He sliced his way through half a dozen mobile suits before rolling over and climbing back into the sky. The first of the Leos were touching down now and shedding their chutes, forming a line to begin an assault.

"Carrier 12, release your Leos," Treize ordered.

The second carrier began dropping its Leos. Treize and Une oversaw their landing while Zechs and Cole led the assault on the enemy line. Zechs was delighted with the performance of his Aries mobile suit in battle. Its speed and maneuverability put the slower ground based units at a huge disadvantage. He swooped in on them repeatedly from above, slaughtering enemy pilots at will.

"Carrier 18, Carrier 31, release your Leos." Treize had stayed high to assess the battle progress. Now that all the Leos were on their way down, he dropped down on the fight below like a falling stone. He cut his way through a dozen mobile suits using an energy saber instead of a rifle. Zechs laughed with pleasure at the sight. Leave it to Treize to enter a critical battle with nothing but a sword. Always the gentleman, was Lord Treize.

"At least tell me you brought a gun, Treize!" he shouted gleefully.

"Guns are for wimps!" Treize shouted back. He sounded like he was having fun.

"And you accuse me of taking chances!" Under the circumstances, Zechs should have been worried, but he wasn't. As always, Une was right there beside Treize, watching his back and blowing enemy mobile suits to bits with her usual quiet efficiency.

"Welcome to Pancevo!" General Catalonia greeted them suddenly. He sounded tired but relieved. "You are a very welcome sight, Luxembourg."

"Glad to be of service, General," Treize replied. "Sorry we took so long."

"Not a problem, Colonel. You're not too late, and that's good enough."

A massive explosion shook the ground, causing some of the mobile suits to lose their footing. Flame and smoke rose up on the southern side of the Base, billowing up into the sky. An instant later, the screams began.

"We're breached! They're everywhere! Fall back! Fall…" The voice cut off, but the cries continued.

Then a new voice cried out, "General Catalonia! They're inside the perimeter! We're cut off!"

"Goddamn it!" Treize cried out. He flashed away toward the south with Une in his wake. "Zechs, find the general!"

"Aye!"

Zechs blasted up over the battlefield and flew southeast. He fired below him as he went, knocking down as many enemy suits as he could on the way. "General Catalonia, acknowledge!" he shouted into the mike as he neared the Alliance front lines.

"The general went to help the rear forces!" someone called back.

"Shit!" Zechs wheeled around, zoomed over the Alliance soldiers and headed toward the column of smoke. "General Catalonia! Acknowledge! Acknowledge!" It didn't seem possible that the general could have covered so much ground in such a short time, but the area behind the Alliance front lines was empty. Zechs flew higher so he could see farther and picked up speed. Finally, in the distance ahead of him, he could see ten or so mobile suits racing toward the area of the explosion. Punching up to full speed, he sped toward the group, but panic touched him when he saw, from his higher vantage, another group of mobile suits waiting to ambush the approaching Alliance soldiers.

"General Catalonia!" he shouted into the mike, "Hold up! You're not clear!"

He was too late. The waiting enemy soldiers jumped up from their ambush, machine guns blazing. Six of the Alliance soldiers went down immediately. Zechs dropped down onto the battle, firing furiously. As soon as they saw him, the enemy soldiers retreated. Zechs pursued them far enough to make sure they were really running before he backtracked to check on the general. Two of the Alliance soldiers had exited their mobile suits and were hurrying to open another one. A sinking feeling hit Zechs in the pit of his stomach. Landing next to the fallen Leos, he thumbed on his mike.

"Is it the general?" he asked numbly.

"Yes." One of the soldiers kicked the emergency release and the cockpit door dropped open.

General Catalonia was dead. Bullets had torn through the cockpit, puncturing him in a dozen places. Zechs dropped his head into his hands. The general was one of the finest men he had ever known. This man had helped shape the Alliance forces. He had built the Specials and the Oz organization. His loss was tragic. Treize had to be told.

"Alpha 3-5, the general has fallen."

The silence which followed his announcement was heartbreaking.

"How?" Treize's voice was flat and emotionless.

"He was ambushed coming to the aid of his men."

"Stay with him. I'll join you when I can."

"Acknowledged."

Zechs climbed up to a comfortable altitude to keep station over the somber group below.

The Alliance forces were slowly gaining the upper hand, but at a terrible price. Half of the Base was in flames. Over a third of the Base forces had been destroyed. The Luxembourg forces had taken heavy losses as well. Treize did not join Zechs until the enemy mobile suits were in full retreat. He did not have enough forces left to pursue them all, so he concentrated on taking prisoners. Zechs understood that. Treize wanted answers, and he would get them.

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Well that's it,

Everyone's dismissed,

And readers please review.

We'll keep this up,

But we really do,

Like to hear from you.

Ja people.


	12. Fallen Hero

I'm three days late but don't hurt ME!!!! (bows repeatedly) GOMEN!

Review Responses

Ellrohan: Welcome to the band wagon friend! "Too good" to review? What does that mean? : ) Glad you loves.

Ryua Malfoy: Yes they do!

Rune Essence: Ma says "Hope it left you breathless, that's what it's suppose to do!"

Well now that we're all up to date lets get started! Mice, Camera, ACTION!

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Chapter 12: Fallen Hero

The Specials were in disarray. The unexpected death of General Catalonia had left them looking for someone to lead them, someone in whom to put their faith and trust. Someone like Treize. But Treize was as lost and as devastated as anyone. Though he had been privy to much of the general's thoughts and plans, Treize still felt like a child trying to step into a man's shoes. The aftermath of the Battle of Pancevo was grim. Alliance losses had been heavy, in both personnel and equipment, and there was no telling how much damage had been inflicted on the insurgents. No one was certain how many forces and how well equipped the rebels had been to begin with. That infuriated Treize. What use was an Intelligence organization if they didn't know that? Treize would not fall prey to that mistake again. He was already making plans to create his own Intelligence unit as part of Oz. He'd discussed it once with General Catalonia, and had received tacit permission to proceed. Now he forged ahead with single-minded purpose. He would never again be caught without adequate knowledge of what the rebels, insurgents and guerillas, both on and off Earth, were doing. The Alliance, and particularly Oz, had already paid too high a price for that failure.

And Treize was certain, as certain as he was the sun would rise in the morning, that Pancevo had nearly been lost because of treason. That the general had died because of treason. Someone in the Pancevo command had betrayed them.

"Colonel Kushranada?"

Treize broke out of his reverie and looked up to find a young Lieutenant standing before him at stark attention. Treize was sitting in General Catalonia's office, slumped in the comfortable, high-backed chair that the general had taken with him to every command he'd held for the past fifteen years. Treize sat up and folded his hands neatly on the desk.

"What is it, Lieutenant?"

"The officers are waiting for you in the conference room, Sir."

"Thank you. Please tell them I'll be there shortly."

"Sir!" The young officer saluted smartly and left, closing the door behind him.

Treize tapped his fingers on the desk as he thought about what he would say. All the remaining officers at Pancevo, as well as his own staff, would be in attendance. Treize planned to tell them there was a traitor and see how they reacted. He had gone through everything in the general's desk, files and computer, but had found nothing incriminating. The only thing that had struck him as odd was what he did not find. He found almost no intelligence reports on rebel activity in the Pancevo region. There should have been something, unless those reports were being purposely withheld to give the general the false impression that there was little unrest in the region. Very few people would have been in a position to do that, and it was on these people that Treize's suspicions now fell. And all of them were now waiting for him in the conference room. He intended to get satisfaction and avenge the general's death.

The six surviving Pancevo officers were silent when Treize entered. His own people, Cole, Une and Zechs, had been talking quietly among themselves, but they stopped and nodded to him as he sat down at the head of the table.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," Treize began, "the one thing I want to know is why General Catalonia was unaware that a large, well-armed rebel force was operating in this area? Who was responsible for providing him with intelligence reports on rebel activity?"

"I was, Colonel," said a dark-haired woman. Treize remembered her from his brief sojourn at Pancevo months before; Colonel Lindsey Wayne. She looked worried, almost frightened. That spoke well for her intelligence; she must realize that she was under suspicion. "I reviewed every report before passing it to the general. We received only a few reports on rebels in this area, mostly about small, poorly armed groups operating in the southeast."

"I see. Were you also handling intelligence reports for Commander Brigham before he was relieved of command at Pancevo?"

"No sir. Colonel Curzon held that post. He was reassigned when Commander Brigham left."

"Curzon?" Treize exclaimed. "Dalken Curzon?"

"Yes."

Treize's eyes narrowed. "How long was he here?"

"He came straight from the Victoria Base Academy, so about three years. He became Intelligence Officer about a year before the trouble started."

"Do you know where he was reassigned?"

"I believe he went to European Command."

Treize sat back. Suddenly, things made sense in a way he hadn't expected. Out of all the thefts, losses and battles they'd been through, the one thing that had never fit had been the attack on Zechs and Sheldon. Too many guerillas had been lost attempting to kill two men. Treize looked at Zechs. Or maybe just one man. Maybe Zechs didn't remember Dalken Curzon. Why should he? But Treize remembered him. And he didn't doubt for one moment that Curzon remembered Zechs.

"Thank you, Colonel Wayne," he said abruptly. "That will be all. I've arranged for General Catalonia's remains to be returned to his family. There will be a service for him tonight in the Base chapel for anyone who cares to attend." Treize stood up, ending the meeting, and the others all rose. He glanced at his people so they would know he wanted them to stay and waited for the Pancevo officers to file out. When the door closed behind the last of them, Treize leaned forward and spoke quietly.

"European Command has not issued a definitive report about the Pancevo region for months. Now we find that Dalken Curzon, one of Brigham's staff officers, has been assigned there. Although none of Brigham's officers was found to be complicit in the problems here that got him demoted, I always believed that someone was feeding the insurgents inside information. And who better than his own Intelligence Officer?"

"But why would he do such a thing?" Une asked. "He was one of the top graduates of the Academy. He's been rising rapidly through the ranks. He could hold any post he wants."

"Could he?" Treize nodded at Zechs. "Zechs cost him the posting at Luxembourg. That's why he was at Pancevo in the first place. What if he's been carrying a grudge all this time? What other reason could there have been for the attack that killed Sheldon, except that Dalken saw an opportunity to kill the man who humiliated him three years ago?"

Une's eyes narrowed as she considered this.

Cole rubbed a hand across his chin and nodded in agreement. "You may be right, Treize, but what are we going to do about it?"

"Recommend that all the officers at Pancevo be reassigned."

"Why?" Une asked. "Do you think others are involved?"

"No, I don't. But that will make Curzon think he's gotten away with it." Treize's face darkened with anger. "And I don't want him to see me coming."

- - - - - - -

Treize took command of Pancevo Base because there was really no one else to do it. He was promoted to Commander and subsequently promoted Une and Cole to Colonel. Zechs was glad he did not get promoted. It allowed him to spend most of his time on patrol in his Aries mobile suit, hunting for rebels. He would have liked to spend time with Treize also, but Treize was too busy now. The Base had to be rebuilt and new forces assigned. They'd swept up most of the recent graduates from Victoria Base Academy; eager young men and women ready to fight in the name of the Alliance. Or, as was true for most of them, in the name of Oz and Treize Kushranada. Many of the new graduates displayed a personal loyalty to Treize, which Zechs found perfectly understandable. His loyalty to Treize was independent of his love for him.

But it left Zechs with the feeling that he was losing Treize to forces beyond his control. Aching sadness welled up in him whenever he thought about it. From the very beginning, he had known that he would not be able to keep Treize forever, but the end was coming much sooner than he'd expected. Too soon, he would be left to the lonely existence he'd known before he met Treize; pretending to enjoy life, when it held little joy for him at all. A man could not live without roots. It left him subject to the winds of fate, and Zechs could feel it blowing on him again.

He flew into a landing on the Pancevo tarmac, tired after the long patrol. He hadn't found anything this time, for the first time since the battle. He lumbered into the partially rebuilt mobile suit hanger and backed into his parking spot.

"Lieutenant Merquise!" one of the mechanics shouted up at him, "Commander Kushranada wants to see you right away."

Zechs waved acknowledgment as he climbed down the side of the mobile suit, too tired to wait for the elevator. It was hot again and Zechs was sweating by the time he reached the Administrative building. The air conditioning still wasn't working and he wiped his face with the back of his sleeve, wishing he could take a shower.

Treize was in his office. He didn't look happy, but he usually didn't these days. Zechs knocked on the frame of the open door.

"You wanted to see me, Commander?"

Treize looked up and his sudden smile dropped years from his face. "I always want to see you, Zechs," he answered. He waved to the chair in front of his desk. "I need to go up to Luxembourg for a few days and I want you to go with me."

Zechs lifted an eyebrow. "As an escort?"

"You could call it that." His smile became affectionate. "The truth is, I'm desperate to take you to bed, but I don't want to do it here."

"Ah."

"We leave tomorrow morning. We'll go in the carrier, so we can take our Aries suits. We'll also be bringing back more forces when we return."

"Aye sir." Zechs stood up. "If you don't mind, I'm dying for a shower."

"Take one for me. This place is an oven." Treize favored him with another affectionate smile as he left.

- - - - - - -

It felt good to be back in Luxembourg. It was cooler, for one thing. It also felt more like home. Zechs returned to his own quarters when they arrived, but he didn't stay there long. He was in Treize's room by 2200, undressing him with eager hands. Treize kept trying to talk, but Zechs wasn't listening. He ached with desire and unfulfilled need. He pushed Treize against the wall and pulled his shirt open, kissing his bare chest hungrily. He worked his way across the firm, smooth skin to the left nipple and closed his lips around it, sucking hard.

"Have you heard a thing I've said, Zechs?"

"Hmmm?" It was hard to talk and suck at the same time, so Zechs elected to suck.

"Apparently not," Treize murmured. He caught Zechs' face in his hands and lifted it so he could look into Zechs' eyes. "My love, I am going to have to do something terrible. I may need you to lie for me."

Zechs blinked. "I'll lie for you, Treize. I'll also lie with you; I'll lie under you; I'll lie beside you. Now, can we stop talking?" He dropped to his knees and began undoing Treize's trousers.

(Begin edit)

"Zechs…" Treize began, but then he stopped with a helpless moan.

He pulled Zechs to his feet and kissed him deeply.

Zechs pushed away, laughing. "Do you still want to talk?"

"Shut up," Treize growled. He dragged Zechs to the bed and shoved him down onto it. "Get out of your clothes right now, lie down and spread your legs."

"Yes sir!" Zechs chuckled as he undressed. He lay back as Treize hastily shed his own clothing and joined him. As always, being with Treize felt utterly wonderful.

Treize dropped his head next to Zechs' ear and whispered, "I wish I could spend the rest of my life doing this with you."

"Tonight is all that matters," Zechs whispered back. "Don't think about tomorrow." He kissed Treize's neck and shoulder, moaning softly as pleasure suffused him. "Oh, god!" he gasped.

Treize uttered a deep groan as orgasm surged through him. When he finished, he looked into Zechs' blue eyes. "I love you," he whispered.

Zechs gazed back at him, letting the sight fix itself in his memory. This was his favorite moment in time: lying beneath Treize in the first sweet moments of post-coital bliss. Slowly, he lifted his mouth to Treize's and gave him a long, gentle kiss. "I love you, too, Treize Kushranada."

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CUT!!! That's it. Actors and viewers I apologize again for being late!

Zechs: Next time you're late at least let us finish before you put us back on!

HEY! You got to finish and got some MORE action so fuck off!

Treize and Zechs: Gladly!

Oy vey…

Goodbye, goodbye

Hope ye had fun…

And just so you know

Mom made another story

For the yaoi favorite

Gravitation!


	13. Discovery

Time for more VBA! And since Fei-chan is here for some reason ( . . ) he's gonna help me with the Q and A!

Wu-Fei: Woman! I will do nothing of the sort.

(whispers in ear)

Wu-Fei: Alright! Alright!

(smirks) I love blackmail…

Q&A!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rune Essence: Never read the manga… Watch the anime!!

Wu-Fei: …

Ryua Malfoy:

Fei: Really? I never seem to have it directed towards _me _that way… (glares of stage)

Elloran: Life sucks sometimes. (steals Fei's katana) Here use this to help calm down.

Fei: WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! Give that back!

Nope! (shoves him off stage) Here Treize! Zechs! Now everyone have fun!

Treize and Zechs: Gladly!

Chapter 13: Discovery

Treize had summoned all of the senior officers in the Alliance to a meeting at Luxembourg. That a mere commander could exert that kind of influence showed how much power Romafeller had in the Alliance. All officers from the European Command had been summoned as well. Zechs thought that the latter group would have to be uncommonly dense if they didn't realize they were in trouble. There had obviously been a dramatic failure in Intelligence for the disaster at Pancevo to have occurred. As Treize's assistant, Zechs accompanied him to the meeting and stood at attention a meter behind his chair, ready to take his orders. He recognized Dalken Curzon when he entered the conference room because his eyes suddenly blazed with hate when they fell on Zechs. For the first time, Zechs wondered if Treize was right, if hate alone would be enough to make Curzon turn against the Alliance.

There were not seats enough at the massive conference table for everyone, so the junior officers were left to stand around the perimeter of the room. Curzon had a seat on Treize's left, about half way down the table. He looked calm and collected now, the flash of hate he'd shown earlier completely hidden.

"I called this meeting to discuss how we can avoid another shambles like Pancevo," Treize began without preamble. "Information and intelligence were not getting into the hands of the people who needed it. I would like to hear concrete suggestions on how to correct this failure."

General Oswald of European Command immediately bridled. "Commander Kushranada, are you implying that my organization is somehow at fault?"

"European Command had intelligence responsibility for the Balkans, General," Treize replied flatly. "How did insurgents assemble a force of over four thousand mobile suits and several large caliber guns and mortars without anyone noticing? How did they transport all that equipment into the region?"

Oswald frowned. "I have been investigating that, Commander. I could find no evidence of rebel forces in that region, beyond the usual guerilla activity. There is no indication that anyone in my organization submitted reports that were ignored."

"You don't find that even a little bit suspicious, General?"

"Why don't you just come right out and say it, Commander Kushranada?" Dalken Curzon suddenly snapped. "You think someone in European Command is a spy for the insurgents."

Treize looked at him without expression. "I was at Pancevo, Colonel Curzon. The insurgents were inside the Base perimeter before the fighting began. Tell me how that happens without inside help?"

"How can you blame that on bad intelligence?" Dalken looked smug.

"You were the Intelligence Officer at Pancevo under Commander Brigham." Treize's voice was as cold as ice. "And now you're in the Intelligence Office at European Command. You served at Pancevo for three years. I would think you more than anyone would be sensitive to problems in that region."

Dalken flushed. For an instant, his eyes flicked to Zechs and then back to Treize, before looking around the table. "There are probably a hundred different rebel bands in the Balkans. Tracking them all is no easy task. I've done my best."

"Your best is far from good enough, Colonel Curzon. Your best cost us the life of General Catalonia."

Exclamations burst out around the table and Dalken jumped to his feet. "You can't blame that on me!" he cried angrily. He pointed an accusing finger directly at Zechs. "If you hadn't been too busy fucking your aide, you could have gotten there in time to save him!"

Zechs didn't move as complete silence fell and all eyes in the room turned to stare at him.

Treize sat back, the fingers of his right hand drumming briefly on the table. "Are you accusing me of sexual misconduct, Colonel Curzon?" he asked quietly.

Dalken lowered his arm and stiffened slightly. He looked as if he were trying to decide what to say next. "Do you deny it?" he said finally. "Do you deny that you've been fucking Lieutenant Merquise for the past six months?"

General Oswald stood up, frowning. "That is a serious accusation, Colonel. I am concerned by your timing and the circumstances under which you bring it forward."

Without turning, Treize spoke to Zechs. "Lieutenant Merquise, the accusation implicates you as well. What do you have to say?"

Zechs came to full attention, with his hands folded behind his back. "I don't know what he's talking about, Commander."

Dalken flushed even darker. "He's lying, General! Ask anyone in their unit! Ask anyone at Luxembourg! Everyone knows!"

Treize stood up slowly. "The only people you need to ask are right here in this room," he said coldly. "I unequivocally deny the accusation. However, I cannot allow this insult to my honor to pass. I demand satisfaction."

Dalken went pale.

"Commander Kushranada, this is a military matter, not a question of honor," General Oswald exclaimed. "A military tribunal will settle the matter."

Treize shook his head. "I think not, General." He turned a fixed stare on Dalken Curzon. "The tribunal can determine if Curzon has been negligent in his duties. As a gentleman of Romafeller, I require that he prove his accusation on my body. We will meet at dawn tomorrow on the parade grounds. This meeting is adjourned."

- - - - - - -

General Oswald was fuming. "Lord Kushranada, if Dalken Curzon is indeed a traitor and a spy, he should be facing a court martial, not a duel at dawn."

The conference room was empty except for the two of them.

"General, there is absolutely no proof that Curzon is guilty. The worse we are likely to find is negligence." Treize ran his fingers through his hair. "I have questioned more than a dozen prisoners and none of them has implicated him. If he is indeed a traitor, he has been incredibly careful. In fact, if not for one mistake, I might not have suspected him at all."

"What mistake was that?"

"He tried to kill Zechs Merquise."

Oswald frowned. "How do you know that? And why would that make you suspect him, if it's true?"

"Because three and a half years ago, when Dalken Curzon was a cocky young senior at the Victoria Base Academy, Zechs Merquise humiliated him so badly it cost him a post at Luxembourg."

"A man doesn't turn traitor over something like that."

"I know Dalken, General Oswald. He is the type to hold a grudge. And he is the only person I know who would have a reason to kill Zechs." He smiled slightly. "Or to accuse him of being my lover." He leaned on the table. "But that means he had the contacts inside the insurgency to arrange the ambush that nearly cost Zechs his life."

The general's brow furrowed in thought. He studied Treize with pursed lips, clearly debating whether or not to go along with Treize's plan. "He's bound to file an appeal. There's no reason for him to show up tomorrow."

"No reason but his own arrogance." Treize grinned, but it was a ruthless grin. "He thinks he can defeat me."

Oswald looked surprised. "No one's ever beaten you in a sword fight."

"I know."

- - - - - - -

There was a hint of winter in the chilly fall morning. Zechs' breath plumed out in front of him as he and Treize walked across the parade ground. Several people were gathered in front of the grandstand, steam rising above them as they talked. The sound of their voices drifted across the open space, made brittle by the icy air. A heated argument was in progress. Someone saw them coming and leaned into the group to make a comment, pointing in their direction. The argument died away as everyone turned to face them. Dalken Curzon was at the center of the group. General Oswald stood beside him. The others were all from the European Command.

"I didn't think you'd show up," Treize said lightly as they reached the group.

Dalken bristled. "I may not be an aristocrat, but I won't take an insult either," he snarled.

"I wasn't aware I'd insulted you," Treize replied. "I only recall you accusing me of indecent behavior with one of my subordinates." He held out his hand and Zechs placed the hilt of his sword, which he'd been carrying, into Treize's palm. Treize slowly drew the sword out of its scabbard. The metallic slithering sound echoed across the ice-rimed grass. He stepped back and slashed the blade through the air.

Dalken turned and gestured toward one of the women standing behind him.

"Dalken…" she began, but he cut her off with a sharp gesture.

"Just give it to me," he snapped. Reluctantly, she held out a sheathed blade to him. He snatched it from her and jerked the blade free, flinging the scabbard to the ground. "Get back! Give me room!" he shouted.

People hastily backed away, making space around the combatants.

Zechs touched Treize lightly on the arm. "Don't toy with him."

"Never." He smiled at Zechs. "This is a question of honor."

Zechs smiled back and moved away.

Treize faced Dalken and drew himself to attention. He presented arms, his blade held upright before his face for three heartbeats, and then fell into his stance, his left arm folded behind his back and his sword pointing at an angle toward the ground in front of him. Dalken copied the salute, but he fell into a more traditional stance, with his left arm in the air above his head and his sword pointing straight at Treize's chest. They held that pose for the space of a breath and then Dalken charged. Treize sidestepped the charge, knocking Dalken's sword aside as he spun lightly on one foot and slashed Dalken across the back as he went by. He immediately fell back into his stance, waiting for Dalken to charge again. Dalken winced as he turned to face Treize. His jacket and shirt were sliced through and blood could already be seen seeping through the tear. He did not charge straight in the second time. He feinted low and then slashed high at Treize's head. Treize ducked under the strike and slashed Dalken across the stomach as he spun away. Dalken hunched over the cut for a moment, breathing hard. His face was flushed with pain and anger. Treize resumed his pose and waited.

"You said you wouldn't toy with him," Zechs called out.

"Sorry, force of habit." Treize's grin was wolfish.

A look of utter fury came over Dalken's face. "Fucking aristocrats!" he screamed. He charged at Treize, his sword flashing up and in, straight at Treize's heart. Treize barely moved. He turned sideways at the last instant, when Dalken's reckless charge left him no time to correct, and brought his sword up at the same time. Dalken skewered himself on Treize's blade, while his on blade glanced harmlessly past Treize's chest.

Dalken didn't make a sound. His mouth fell open and he stared, first at Treize, then at the steel sticking out of his chest. A trickle of blood drooled from the corner of his mouth and he slumped to the ground, dragging Treize's sword with him. Treize released the hilt and stepped back, regarding Dalken calmly.

"I think this proves my point, gentlemen." He looked up at General Oswald. "I apologize if this disrupts your investigation."

Dalken looked up with glazed, unbelieving eyes. His mouth worked soundlessly for a moment and then he collapsed onto his side, going limp. The officers crowded forward and one knelt down to check Dalken's pulse. After touching her fingers to his throat briefly, she pulled her hand away with a shake of her head.

Treize turned to Zechs. "We have business that needs our attention, Lieutenant." He walked away without another word.

Zechs saluted General Oswald and hurried to fall into step beside Treize.

"Treize," he said, "now that you've killed someone to prove that we aren't lovers, if anyone finds out the truth, it will destroy your credibility."

"I know." His expression was unreadable. "We must be especially careful now."

Zechs fell silent. Treize might not want to say it, but Zechs was not a fool. They had to be more than careful. They had to live the truth of the lie they'd told.

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Cut. Now were done for the day. This is the second to the last chapter so everyone review.

Now the story is slowing to an end.

And everyone is holding their breath.

To see how the show will end,

For our two good friends.

REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!


	14. Seperation

Alright everyone it's the last chapter. And remember this is a canon story so you should have an idea of what's going to happen but first the responses.

Ryua Malfoy: No you had a response but my part got erased or something. Fei's part didn't though. Glad you enjoyed the story! n.n Also I wanted to thank you cause me just realized you've reviewed five of the stories moi have posted! (hugs) And I swear I'm working on my stories if you were curious!

Ellrohan: (scratches back of neck nervously) ummmmm… we'll seeing as its canon… yeah.

And to Rune Essence: Hope that you enjoy the ending.

Now chances are you'll need some tissue by the end so have some handy! Enjoy everyone.

Chapter 14: Separation

Responsibility was a terrible weight, crushing all the joy and spontaneity out of Treize's life. Everywhere he turned, people needed him to take command, issue orders, make decisions. He did what was needed because he was good at it, and because he believed he was the best person to be taking charge, especially of Oz. But the unwavering loyalty of so many innocent soldiers unnerved him. These people were ready to die for him. All he had to do was ask. They loved him. They trusted him. And he had a responsibility to honor that trust. He just didn't see why he had to give up his own happiness to do it.

Une watched him from the other side of his desk. She had brought him the latest set of reports from Pancevo. After the death of Dalken Curzon, Treize had stayed in Luxembourg to let the dust settle. This was where his power base lay, so he stayed while the Alliance senior command tried to figure out what to do. The messy relationship between the Alliance and Romafeller had been exposed. If they did nothing to Treize for killing a fellow officer, it would send a very bad message to other aristocrat-soldiers in the ranks. On the other hand, they could hardly send Treize to prison. It seemed likely that they would ask him to relinquish his command. However, he would retain his position as Commander of Oz, so in the end it would mean little.

Except for one thing: Zechs.

Une sighed in exasperation. "As long as Count Zechs is with you, people will speculate. You need to reassign him, for his sake as well as your own."

Treize glared at her. "There's no reason for that, Lady Une. I proved that there is nothing between us."

"All you did was kill a man who deserved to be killed." Une took off her glasses and leaned over the desk. In her eyes, Treize could see the old Une he remembered; the kind, compassionate woman whose opinion he trusted. "Whatever you may feel for him, Treize, it cannot be about just the two of you any more. The general is dead. The whole world is depending on you now. You must step forward and lead us. We need you."

Treize didn't want to listen to her, but he knew she was right. He was being selfish. But knowing that didn't stop his heart from breaking. He would have to give Zechs up. The thought crushed him. He wanted to weep. He wanted to tell her how much he loved Zechs, how much he needed him, but he couldn't. He could never tell anyone, because it could be used against him. Even Une, in her dark and angry persona, might use it against him. And if he was to be an effective leader, he could have no weaknesses, no Achilles heel, to drag him down. He met her gentle gaze and nodded.

"Of course, Une, you're right. Transmit coded orders at once that I will be assuming permanent command of the Specials." He rose, standing ramrod straight with his shoulders back and his head up. "I'm placing Cole Vernon in command of this unit. I'll transfer Zechs Merquise to the Victoria Base Academy to train cadets in the new Aries mobile suits."

"And what are my orders, Sir?" Une slipped her glasses back on her face.

"You'll stay with me as my second." He smiled, but it was a sad smile. "You have always backed me up when I needed it most, Lady Une. I'm going to need that now. We'll both have bloody hands before the end."

- - - - - - -

Treize sat for a long time at the small desk in his room, staring at nothing. He should be working, but he couldn't concentrate. He wanted to see Zechs. It was all he could think about. He'd sent for him, but he wasn't sure if Zechs would come. Zechs knew what was happening. It was very late when Zechs finally knocked on his door. Treize knew it was him from the way he knocked.

"Come in, Zechs."

Zechs entered. As he closed and bolted the door behind him, Treize noticed something tucked under his left arm.

"What's that?"

"It's a mask." Zechs held it out so Treize could see it. It was as much a helmet as a mask, designed to cover his head as well as the upper part of his face. "I bought it a few days ago." He looked unhappy. "Someone called me by my old name the other day. That hasn't happened for a long time." He studied the mask thoughtfully. "I decided that if people couldn't see my face, maybe they would finally forget my ancestry, as I've tried to."

"Do you really want to forget?"

"I can't be a soldier and a Peacecraft, Treize."

Treize nodded without answering. His path wasn't the only difficult one. He looked up at Zechs and couldn't think of anything else to say. "Will you stay?"

"I shouldn't."

"I know, but I need to be with you right now."

Zechs put the mask down on the dresser at the foot of the bed and crossed the room to Treize. He put his hands on Treize's shoulders and leaned over to kiss him deeply.

They made love looking into each other's eyes. Treize let his fingers catch in the silken strands of Zechs' hair, lost in the azure depths of his beautiful blue eyes. Zechs wrapped his arms and legs around Treize and held Treize tight against him.

"Never in my life have I wanted anything as much as I want you, Zechs Merquise," Treize whispered. "I treasure every moment I've spent with you."

Zechs didn't answer him. Instead, he lifted his mouth to Treize's and kissed him gently.

They both knew it would be a mistake for Zechs to spend the night. They made love until the early morning hours, but finally, exhausted and fulfilled, they rose and dressed.

Treize looked out the small window above the desk, lifting his eyes to the stars. "War is coming and loyalties will change. Know that I will always love you, Zechs, with every breath I draw, including my last."

"I will always stand by you, Treize."

Treize shook his head. "No, don't promise me that. I don't want you to become like Une. Promise me that you will always do as your heart tells you, and if you find that you must take a different path from mine, don't hesitate." He turned to look at Zechs. How would he ever find the courage to end their affair? After so long, how could he bear the emptiness of his life without Zechs at his side, in his arms, in his bed? He drank in the sight of the handsome Count: the beautiful face, the strong muscular body, the shimmering cascade of his silver hair. He could remember every curve, every hollow, the taste and the scent of him. There was no denying the necessity of what he must do, but he hated it. He hated duty. He hated honor. He wanted to throw it all away and spend the rest of his life making love with Zechs.

But he couldn't do that. He had not been raised to put his love and his passion above the honor of his name and his station in life. But for a moment, he closed his eyes and imagined it. He let a lifetime of happiness flow before his closed eyelids. Then he opened his eyes and met Zechs' soft blue gaze.

"We cannot be lovers any more, Zechs," he said softly. "It is time for me to remember my place in society, in Romafeller. I have to take up the duty for which I was raised and guide Romafeller and Oz into the future. And I cannot do that when I care more about you than the future of the world."

Zechs nodded. There were tears in his eyes. "I know." He looked forlornly around the room for a moment, then spotted the mask he had brought with him. Slowly, he moved to pick it up. He stared at it for a moment, clasped between hands that trembled slightly, and drew in a long breath. He looked up at Treize. "I respect your decision, Treize, and I accept it. I understand why you must do this." He turned the mask slowly in his hands. "My face is the last thing that ties me to the Peacecraft family. Although I have not used that name for a long time, it is time for me to let it go completely. As long as I wear this mask, I will dedicate my life to the service of Oz." He started to lift the mask over his head, but then he stopped. "Will you kiss me one last time?"

Treize didn't hesitate. He immediately stepped close and enfolded Zechs in his arms. He pressed his lips against Zechs', his tongue stroking lovingly across Zechs' lips and tongue in a kiss that was more familiar than breathing. They held each other for a long time, reluctant to let go, reluctant to end that final embrace. But at last Treize drew his mouth away and looked into Zechs' eyes.

"I will never say these words to you again," he whispered, "but let them echo in your heart for the rest of time: I love you, Zechs Merquise."

"I love you, Treize Kushranada," Zechs whispered back. He stepped away from Treize's embrace and lifted the mask over his head. It settled into place, hiding his face from Treize's intent gaze. Then he saluted smartly, turned on his heel and marched from the room.

As the door closed behind him, Treize felt something warm on his cheek. Lifting his hand to brush it away, he discovered he was weeping. He stared in amazement at the moisture on his fingertips. He had only wept twice in his adult life and both times had been because of Zechs Merquise. He bowed his head and let the tears fall.

"I give my life to the future of the world, Milliardo Peacecraft. I give my death to you."

The End

(Sniff) That's all everyone


End file.
